Isabelle Huppert is commanding in this visually striking work
Presented by: Adelaide Festival and Théâtre de la Ville-Paris
Reviewed: 6 March, 2026
Mary Said What She Said is a remarkable piece of theatre, based on letters by Mary Stuart (‘Queen of Scots’) during her eighteen-year incarceration before her execution. This production is set the night before Mary’s death, and is altogether powerful and a work of art. This production has an absolute powerhouse team of creatives behind it, with direction, set and lighting design by the late great Robert Wilson (I believe this was his last work before he passed away last year); text by Darryl Pinckney; music by Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi; and performed by the insanely talented Isabelle Huppert.
The show opens with Huppert, as Mary Stuart, standing upstage, carefully posed with her back to the audience. Over the entire opening scene, she turns and makes her way to the front of the stage, moving with inexorable slowness, evoking the feeling that she is moving step by step to her doom. This effect, combined with Ludovico Einaudi’s gorgeous score, created a very cinematic feel to the first scene.
As the text turns to memories of her life — including her time at the French court, her three husbands, her fondness for her four maids (all named Mary), all the way through her eighteen-year imprisonment before her execution — the action changes, providing movement or stillness, tension or calm. The movement is all rather abstract, but always extremely evocative. One particularly striking moment is when a second Mary, costume identical except in colour, appears upstage opposite Huppert, slowly mirroring every movement before the scene ends with the second Mary collapsing to the ground while Huppert’s face contorts in a shocking scream. Another memorable moment is the scene set in heavy fog, contained by a scrim so that it billows up around Huppert.
If you can afford to, I would highly recommend sitting in the stalls and avoiding the balcony seats for this show. The magic of the fog scene was slightly marred by those on the higher angle being able to see the trap door where props appeared and disappeared. There were also a number of times when Huppert would strike a dramatic pose, and on the right angle I imagine it would have been an impressive silhouette effect with the backlighting. Unfortunately, in the dress circle this effect was completely lost unless Huppert was standing right up against the screen at the back of the stage.
Isabelle Huppert’s performance is absolutely commanding. One would think that a one-woman show would be dwarfed on the huge Festival Theatre stage, but this is not the case. Huppert’s presence fills the entire theatre, and she holds the audience in the palm of her hand, as they hang on every gesture. Her monologues are clear and at times spoken incredibly fast, displaying incredible control and discipline in this mammoth piece of work.
The musical score for this production, by world renowned composer Ludovico Einaudi, is stunning. It opens with a piece using overlapping phrases played by string ensemble and harpsichord, hinting at the time period while still leaning into the contemporary. The music is delicate and dancelike when Mary recalls her time at the French Court, and becomes a frantic and almost overwhelming wall of sound to match Huppert’s frenetic movements that seem as though Mary is losing her mind as she approached her death. Repetition and isorhythms are heavily used, building tension and perfectly complementing the on stage visuals.
This performance is in French, with English surtitles displayed above and to the sides of the stage. This was very helpful, though when Huppert spoke at her fastest pace you need to be a good speed reader to keep up (if you don’t speak French). There were a few times when the surtitles became out of time with the spoken words. At one moment in particular, the surtitles seemed to freeze for a long moment before speeding through slides at a pace impossible to read until it caught up with Huppert’s monologue.
Mary Said What She Said is more than just a play. It’s a true work of art, with each scene rather like a moving painting, a snapshot evoking something visceral about Mary Stuart’s doomed life, her inner strength, her loves, and the political intrigue she had no choice but to be part of. It is visually striking, challenging and utterly remarkable in so many ways.
Reviewed by: Kristin Stefanoff
Photo credit: Lucie Jansch
Venue: Festival Theatre
Season: Until 8th March 2026
Duration: 1hr 30m no interval
Tickets: $95 – $169 (plus booking fee)
Bookings: https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/whats-on/season-2026/mary-said-what-she-said
