Mary Stuart Tickets

Mary Queen of Scots led a tragic life. Friedrich Schiller immortalised it a couple of hundred years ago in this excellent verse play. And it is still drawing large, enthusiastic audiences. Expect just over three hours of classic entertainment with the brilliant Juliet Stevenson and Lia Williams in starring roles.

This play received considerable critical acclaim during its run at the Almeida theatre in late 2016 and early 2017. Robert Icke has created the new adaptation beautifully, just one reason behind its West End transfer to the Duke of York's, a run kicking off in January 2018 and culminating in a UK-wide tour.

This is a true political and royal tragedy that explores the the background behind some of the most dramatic days in the history of England. It homes in on the complex relationship between Queen Elizabeth the First, in power and determined to stay that way, and Mary Stuart, imprisoned and awaiting execution.

There's something highly unusual about this production. The stars of the show Juliet Stevenson and Lia Williams play both roles, deciding who plays whom by tossing a coin before every performance. The original music is written by Laura Marling, Robert Icke directs, sound comes from Paul Arditti and lighting from Jackie Shemesh. Design is by Hildegard Bechtler. And the end result is quite simply awesome.

This is a magnificently gripping and intense production of Schiller's political thriller. As the Almeida's artistic director Rupert Goold said in the programme, "In the last six months our shores have experienced unfathomable political turbulence in the wake of Brexit and a female leader is in power for the first time since Margaret Thatcher -- a double-edged twist, to be both celebrated and feared. On the other side of the Atlantic, a ferocious power battle has been fought. Misogyny, tyranny, prejudice came head to head, shot through with a deep distrust of the female sex. The theatre of politics has been staged in front of our eyes -- and the results continue to unravel. We see this chaos as an urgent provocation to find answers elsewhere."

Never has this play been quite so relevant. Don't miss it!