Mary, Queen of Scots

Roseanna Leney as Mary, Queen of Scots, image by Andy Ross

Two nights ago at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre, as the curtain came down on the first half of Scottish Ballet’s Mary, Queen of Scots, I overheard a voice from a row behind me say "I’ve never seen a ballet like that before."

In one respect this world premiere was very much like every ballet I have seen, starting with Teatr Ekspresji’s ZUN in 1990: the plots are obscure to the point of being almost impossible to follow. Enjoyment of even Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, which isn’t exactly unfathomable, benefits from a quick read of the source material (Alexandre Dumas’s short story of the same name) before watching.

A minor complaint, and anyone in the audience who hadn’t been put through a Scottish schooling, or for those who had and needed reminding, there was a brief synopsis of Mary’s life set out in the production freesheet. The programme notes go on to say that ‘as her death approaches, Elizabeth I of England is haunted by memories – both real and imagined – of her cousin and rival, Mary, Queen of Scots. Bound by blood yet divided by power, their lives were a dangerous dance of ambition, intrigue and betrayal.’ And that’s about as much background as you need to enjoy this spectacular production.

The score by Mikael Karlsson and Michael P Atkinson is at times reminiscent of early Michael Nyman, at others a New Order-esque cinematic soundtrack. Indeed, the costumes of Lord Walsingham’s spies and Elizabeth’s hound seem inspired by the video for that band’s Blue Monday. Music which is both bombastic and sympathetic when required.

No sequence is longer than a couple of minutes, so the entire cast are required to work hard following Sophie Laplane’s inventive choreography. But the absolute stand out here is Scottish Ballet principal Roseanna Leney in the title role. A sublime performance deserving of the standing ovation she received.

Mary, Queen of Scots, Edinburgh Festival Theatre until 17th August, then touring