Rona Munro’s play Mary is titled for Mary, Queen of Scots, but the woman herself does not appear onstage, and neither does her third husband, the 4th Earl of Bothwell. Rather, the play’s main character is Mary’s loyal courtier, the diplomat Sir James Melville. Set in 1567, a tumultuous time in Scotland, Mary consists of two scenes in which three characters—a maid (played by Rona Morison), a younger courtier (Brian Vernel), and Melville (Douglas Henshall)—debate the Queen’s political situation and strategic moves. Their shifting dynamics show how ego, power, and sexism together add up to very bad outcomes. —Jensen Davis