The first act contrasts the personalities of the two monarchs, as they engage in a battle of wiles.

Elizabeth is portrayed as a woman who has given up on love and family in order to maintain a firm grasp on power, while Mary is portrayed as a reckless, impulsive woman ready to risk power for love.

The second act concentrates on Mary's term as a prisoner of Elizabeth, during which time she reflected on her own pending execution.

[4] A 1985 off-Broadway revival featured Geraldine Page as Elizabeth and Sabra Jones as Mary.

[5] Janet McTeer as Elizabeth and Barbara Flynn as Mary headlined director Roy Marsden's 1995 revival of Vivat!