Today I saw the matinee performance of Mary Stuart at Center Stage. I enjoyed it better than I thought I would. The very beginning of the show was tension filled with shouting matches reminiscent of the Holocaust drama, The Investigation. I must say that Irene Lewis did a fantastic job of directing a serious play. I loved to hate the treacherous Lord Leicester. At the beginning of the play I felt empathy towards Queen Elizabeth for the difficult decision she had to make. Then at the end I hated her for being a bitch and placing blame on everyone else but herself.

Laurence O’Dwyer put in an ok performance. He wasn’t his usual scene stealer self, then again, this wasn’t a comedy. Of the two queens Elizabeth had the better costumes. Mary Stuart was clothed all in black. I couldn't understand the attraction that men had towards her she just seemed drab. Also at the end when she was going to her execution she was dressed in a white dress which in my opinion was more suited for a 1940’s uso dance hall girl. What was the costume designer thinking?

Of the 3 plays I’ve seen so far this ranks as my 2nd favorite this year. My top favorite Center Stage play for the 2003-2003 season is Ain’t Mis Behavin’. I’ve noticed that I skipped the two new plays this year, No Foreigners Beyond this Point and Intimate Apparel. I definitely will be seeing the Rainmaker.

I want to see this one, sadly, from a cultural standpoint because of the TV show Happy Days. I still vaguely can recall the episode where they did a rendition of the play. In the episode Fonzi played the guy in the barn eg. the male lead and I think Mrs. Cunningham played the woman who found him eg. the female lead. My memories are fuzzy on the specifics of the play. I do know for sure that they did it on Happy Days.

In other Center Stage news, I think I may have to switch my subscription next year to Saturday matinees. In previous years I’ve held Tuesday or Wednesday night subscriptions but they never seem to work out right because I end up rescheduling for other nights because of work/sleep issues. So I guess I’ll be biting the bullet and paying the extra fees for the convenience that a Saturday matinee brings.