Isabelle Huppert delivers an exacting performance as Mary, Queen of Scots in Robert Wilson's hypnotic play Mary Said What She Said, now showing at the Adelaide Festival. The production, however, may not appeal to all tastes, with its dense text and austere formalism.
Directed by the late American theatre maker Robert Wilson, the play features Huppert in a tightly controlled silhouette at the outset, speaking in French with English surtitles. The text by Darryl Pinckney is densely packed with poetic imagery and repeated non-sequiturs, making the first half hour particularly challenging as audiences struggle to keep up.
Wilson's staging, combined with Ludovico Einaudi's looping score, creates a swirling, hypnotic effect. Huppert's performance grows in stature as the physical and vocal demands increase, eventually becoming mesmerising. The play's relationship to historical fact is tenuous, focusing instead on a fragmented portrait of Mary.
While some may find the formalism off-putting, the production is best described as living sculpture rather than conventional theatre. Huppert's regal presence and precise movements anchor the piece, which becomes increasingly incantatory and powerful as it progresses.
