THE OTHER QUEEN

After her forced abdication, Mary, Queen of Scots (Dagmara Dominczyk), flees to England, where her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, promptly imprisons her. Mary lives her life of confinement on the secluded Sheffield estates under the spying eyes of the Earl of Shrewsbury (Graeme Malcolm) and his wife, Bess (Bianca Amato), until she is ultimately tried and executed for treason. Dominczyk's understated French accent is ideal for a queen born to entitlement, and her flashes of irritability and impertinence enhance Mary's royal persona. Malcolm's forlorn voice befits the earl who is falling in love with Mary while struggling with loyalties to both queens. And Amato shines in a commanding performance as Bess, a treacherous woman who stops at nothing to ensure self-preservation and financial security. A.R.H. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2009]