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| A detail of The Coronation Portrait of Elizabeth I, depicting Elizabeth, aged 25. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain. |
The new one-woman show I, Elizabeth premiering May 16th at 7:30 in The Mill Theatre in Banbury has caught our attention. Starring actress Rebecca Vaughn in a performance one reviewer says is "worthy of an Oscar", Vaughn, in first person narrative tells the story of Elizabeth I, incorporating the Tudor queen's own letters, speeches and quotes throughout. Vaughn imagines what Elizabeth's personal thoughts may have been on the issues she faced when she became queen at the age of 25, such as marriage, the cold war with Spain and religion.
As a first person interpreter of Elizabeth I, I would relish the chance to see Vaughn's celebrated performance as the illustrious queen. I also find it important to incorporate Elizabeth's actual words into my own performances to give them added authenticity (although I do not for a second delude myself into believing that any of my shows are professional theatre-worthy!) and I deem it necessary to make educated guesses as to what Elizabeth's inner-most thoughts might have been. I applaud Vaughn and The Mill Theatre for running this exciting show that tells Elizabeth's story in such a perspective.
The Banbury Guardian spoke with The Mill Theatre's program manager Deborah Clarke and did a lovely detailed write-up on the show; the article also features a stunning photo of Vaughn dressed as the young Elizabeth, seemingly deep in thought over an agonizing matter. Please read the article at the link included below.
And if anyone is fortunate enough to see the show, I would be interested to know what you thought of it! Living in America limits my ability to see such things :( Please comment below or email me at ERITudor(at)gmail(dot)com !
SEMPER EADEM,
