Maxine Morse 
· Feb 19, 2025 · 4 mins
A Regal Triumph? ENO’s Mary Queen of Scots Delivers Drama and Intrigue
The English National Opera closes its season with a majestic yet rarely performed work: Mary Queen of Scots by the distinguished Scottish-American composer Thea Musgrave. Premiered in 1977 at the King’s Theatre in Scotland, this marks its first London staging since the 1980s—and its ENO debut.
Musgrave’s opera vividly charts the 16th-century political and religious turmoil of Scotland, as Mary Stewart, a devout Catholic and heir to the Scottish throne, returns from exile in France to reclaim a country ruled in her absence by her Protestant half-brother, James Stewart, Earl of Moray. Her homecoming is anything but triumphant. Betrayed by courtiers more interested in their own advancement than in loyalty, she finds herself ensnared in intrigue and deception. Impregnated by her philandering husband, Lord Darnley, and later coerced into a destructive liaison with James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, Mary is ultimately forced to flee, leaving behind her infant son—future King James I of England and Scotland.
While this may sound like a history lesson, Musgrave’s fast-paced narrative and psychologically astute characterisation make for riveting drama. Musgrave has long been drawn to female figures who defy the odds—her operatic subjects include Harriet Tubman, the American abolitionist; Manuela Sáenz, the lover of Latin American revolutionary Simón Bolívar; and Micaela Almonester, a wealthy 19th-century New Orleans heiress. Mary Queen of Scots fits seamlessly into this oeuvre, with its powerful depiction of a woman fighting to assert her authority in a world dominated by men.
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The title role is a punishingly demanding one, but Heidi Stober rises to the challenge in a performance of thrilling intensity. Her voice, by turns anguished, tender, and defiant, fills the cavernous Coliseum with an emotional depth that elevates the entire production. She brings an undeniable stage presence, creating a Mary who is regal yet vulnerable, headstrong yet tragically doomed.
As her scheming half-brother, Alex Otterburn delivers a chillingly effective portrayal of political expediency in action. His James Stewart is a man without a moral compass, more spiv than statesman, yet sufficiently calculating to manipulate events to his advantage. Otterburn’s nuanced performance suggests a figure who, though lacking in backbone, possesses just enough cunning to rule.
The most harrowing scene comes in the form of Mary’s brutal assault by Bothwell, staged with unflinching realism. As the court huddles around the bed, shielding the audience’s view before parting to reveal Bothwell pulling up his breeches, the moment is deeply unsettling. John Findon’s Bothwell is a brooding brute, exuding menace with his sheer physicality and booming vocal presence.
Joana Carneiro conducts Musgrave’s complex, atmospheric score with precision and fluidity, ensuring its restless energy never falters. Stewart Laing’s direction handles the large ensemble scenes with a degree of control, though minor characters lack the distinctiveness needed to fully inhabit Musgrave’s world.
If the performances soar, the staging, alas, falls flat. ENO’s recent penchant for minimalism reaches near-parody here. The entire set—a wedding marquee—seems more at home in the beer garden of a run-down northern pub than in the royal courts of Renaissance Scotland. Constantly erected and dismantled throughout the production, it adds little and distracts much. With The Marriage of Figaro and Mary Queen of Scots combined, the company’s entire season of set design could fit into a single rental van bound for its future Manchester home.
That said, Mary Queen of Scots is well worth seeing for its haunting score and Stober’s extraordinary performance. This should have been King Lear; instead, it feels more like Boys from the Blackstuff—but don’t let the lacklustre visuals deter you from an otherwise gripping production.
Mary Queen of Scots opens at the London Coliseum on Saturday 15 February 2025 at 19:00 and runs for one further performance on Tuesday 18 February at 19:00.
Tickets can be purchased from the ENO website
Under 21s can get free opera tickets to all ENO performances at every level of the theatre and 21-35 year olds can get discounted opera tickets. Tickets for everyone begin at £10.
