(l to r) Kellie Overbey and K.K. Moggie in ‘Mary Stuart.’ (Photo: Jeff Sciortino)
The Broadway Blog heads to Chicago! Stay tuned for play and musical reviews from the Windy City. Now in rehearsals is Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Mary Stuart, Peter Oswald’s electrifying new take on the famously bitter rivalry between Mary, Queen of Scots, and her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England, begins performances February 21 and runs through April 15, 2018.
The two fiercely independent women at the center of the showdown are portrayed by acclaimed actresses K.K. Moggie as Mary and Kellie Overbey as Elizabeth. Award-winning director Jenn Thompson, former artistic director of The Actors Company Theater stages the production in CST’s Courtyard Theater.
What’s It About?
Two extraordinary women clash in a no-holds-barred power play over the right to rule. Queen Elizabeth I must decide the fate of her imprisoned cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, who is accused of treason. In a single, clandestine meeting where both women’s ambitions are laid bare, the fate of two countries is decided. Seduction, greed, and deception make for a thrilling war of words between the formidable queens—each surrounded by a cadre of men, jockeying for power and influence.
Peter Oswald’s new high-stakes telling of Friedrich Schiller’s 19th-century drama premiered at the Donmar Warehouse under the direction of the legendary Phyllida Lloyd. Following rave reviews, the production swiftly transferred to the West End and to Broadway for extended runs, garnering multiple Olivier and Tony Award nominations.
Bringing the inimitable women to life onstage are K.K. Moggie as Mary Stuart and Kellie Overbey as Queen Elizabeth I. Moggie’s extensive off-Broadway theater credits include performances at MCC Theater, Classic Stage Company, and Atlantic Theater Company. Overbey made her Broadway debut in the Steppenwolf transfer production of Sam Shepard’s Buried Child, directed by Gary Sinise. She has since appeared on Broadway in The Coast of Utopia (Parts 1, 2 and 3), Twentieth Century, QED, and Judgment at Nuremberg.
What the Critics Have Said of ‘Mary Stuart’
This is no stodgy history lesson but a juicy regal smackdown rendered in direct, muscular language. — Variety
A fierce timelessness in its depiction of political power games. — The New York Times
Mary Stuart
CST’s Courtyard Theater
Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Avenue, Chicago
February 21 – April 15, 2018
