Mary, Queen of Scots: Scottish Ballet at Edinburgh Festival

Roseanna Leney (Mary) with Hannah Cubitt, Alice Kawalek, Melissa Polson, Danila Marzilli

Charlotta Öfverholm (Older Elizabeth), Harvey Littlefield (Younger Elizabeth)

Mary, Queen of Scots

Roseanna Leney (Mary), Evan Loudon (Darnley)

Anna Williams (Mary – proxy), Grace Horler (Elizabeth – proxy), Roseanna Leney (Mary)

Kayla Marie Tarantolo (The Jester)

By Kathy Elgin, 18 August 2025

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“Laplane clearly has a million ideas a minute and she’s thrown most of them into the mix”

Reviewed at Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Edinburgh on 15 August 2025

Mary, Queen of Scots (World premiere) (Sophie Laplane)

Scottish Ballet

James Bonas, Director

Soutra Gilmour, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Bonnie Beecher, Lighting Designer

Anouar Brissel, Video

Roseanna Leney, Dancer

Thomas Edwards, Dancer

Harvey LIttlefield, Dancer

Javier Andreu, Dancer

Evan Loudon, Dancer

Kayla-Maree Tarantolo, Dancer

Scottish Ballet's Mary, Queen of Scots: some riveting performances

Jonathan Gray, 5th March

Sophie Laplane's Mary, Queen of Scots has a lot going for it, visually stunning with a pleasing score, but simplistic and overly rapid storytelling brings it to an underwhelming conclusion.

***11

Twice-Born: Scottish Ballet punches well above its weight

Graham Watts, 6th March

A film and two live performances prove to be an excellent demonstration of Scottish Ballet's diverse talents.

****1

Ballet Black's HEROES: supremely well danced double bill

Graham Watts, 7th November

A programme to show that heroism is not just about feats of action and adventure, with Ballet Black's supremely good dancers rising to each challenge.

***11

Scottish Ballet excels in a diverse, quirky quadruple bill

Kathy Elgin, 16th October

By the time a rain of multicoloured paper hands floated down from above, a bizarre figure in orange strolled onstage, ignored by everybody, the audience was in love with the whole thing.

****1

An evening with Scottish Ballet at the Edinburgh Festival

Graham Watts, 8th August

A worthwhile addition to the locker of lockdown digital dance.

***11

Scottish Ballet: Sibilo / Emergence

Kirsty Morgan, 29th September

From whistles to buzzing bees, Scottish Ballet’s October double-bill of Siblio and Emergence delight the Theatre Royal in Glasgow.

****1

More reviews...

Kathy Elgin

After a career in publishing, Kathy Elgin turned her enthusiasm for dance into a real job by joining the late, great John Percival, Dance Critic of The Times, in his re-launch of Dance and Dancers magazine in 1981. She was later delighted to join its rival, The Dancing Times, as Scottish correspondent until the magazine’s sad demise in 2022. She lives in Edinburgh.

Mary, Queen of Scots: Scottish Ballet at Edinburgh International Festival