Regime change, pre-emptive attacks, civil war, the seductive qualities of political power, powerful political allies giving questionable advice, religious justification, the right to try foreign nationals.
If these issues sound pretty familiar, they're supposed to. And I suspect that's why the New England Youth Theatre and Sandglass Theater's Eric Bass joined forces to present "Mary Stuart," Schiller's play which was written 200 years ago but still echoes with great resonance today.
That should be no surprise considering Schiller wrote "Mary Stuart" around 1800 to examine the "the crimes of the mighty" of his day, using the true-life power struggle of Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I as his setting.
In the hands of Bass and a veteran NEYT cast, I have little doubt that it will be compelling theater and will shed a little more light on the doings of our own bereft leadership. Eat you heart out, Jon Stewart.
"Mary Stuart" runs from June 7-17 at NEYT, 100 Flat St. For information, visit www.neyt.org or call 802-246-6398.