Isabelle Huppert on the U.S. Premiere of Robert Wilson’s Mary Said What She Said

Today, a limited run production of Mary Said What She Said, written by Darryl Pinckney and directed by Robert Wilson, opens within New York City’s NYU Skirball Center. A monologue in three parts, the stark theatrical piece stars Isabelle Huppert as Mary, Queen of Scots on the eve of her execution. Huppert originated the role in 2019 at the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris. Since, she and Wilson have transferred it from Espace Cardin to Stockholm’s Royal Dramatic Theatre, London’s Barbican, and the Seongnam Arts Center in South Korea.

Throughout, Huppert has captivated audiences with her whirlwind portrayal. “I’ve been doing this production for five years but each time that I do it, it’s a bit of a challenge because of the time off in between,” she tells Surface. “But the magic is there each time because of Bob Wilson. The structure is so strong that I feel safe within it. Bob’s direction and aesthetic design are so strong that I feel free within that frame.” Wilson determined the staging and lighting, both of which support Huppert’s performance, and layered in an orchestral score by Ludovico Einaudi. It, too, sweeps viewers away.

This is Huppert’s third theater production and fifth collaboration with Wilson since 1993. “He’s one of the major influences on my life as an actress,” she says. “The first work we did together was Orlando, 30 years ago, adapted by Darryl, which I would love to do again—even more so now because it would be telling to share that story. We did a piece for German radio. More recently, we did a text from Maya Angelou for the Rouen Cathedral. It was a light and sound work. We also did Quartet by Heiner Müller in 2006.”

At a preview event hosted by Van Cleef & Arpels, who are supporting the production through their Dance Reflections initiative, Wilson praised Huppert’s relationship to silence and stillness. He also commended her on the abstraction she explores within his formality. Huppert turned the attention back to Wilson, his vision and his craft. Wilson’s influential, experimental repertoire ranges from the libretto for Einstein on the Beach, a collaboration with Philip Glass, to the development of The Watermill Center, a cultural beacon in the Hamptons.

“This return is long overdue,” Jay Wegman, the director of the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, shares with Surface. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome him back with such a typically beautiful Robert Wilson production. Everything from the lighting to the setting to the stage composition is such a beautiful thing. It gives me goosebumps knowing that it’s been so long since New Yorkers have been able to appreciate his artistry.” Alas, that artistry will only be on view in N.Y.C. until March 2.