Two Queens. One Catholic and Scottish, one Protestant and English. One in prison at the other’s behest. A man between them balancing loyalty and love. A cry of ‘Vile bastard’ is the impassioned insult that leads one to the scaffold. The insult was so potent that the first performance of Donizetti’s lyrical tragedy was cancelled at the last minute in Naples through royal intervention. A toned-down revision went awry at la Scala the following year when the great Maria Malibran chose to sing the original words. More than a century would pass before Maria Stuarda would finally make its way into the operatic mainstream. For the central female roles, Irish National Opera has called on two Irish singers with glittering international careers: mezzo-soprano, Tara Erraught and soprano, Anna Devin. Tom Creed’s new production promises timely insights into what happens when larger imperial states encroach on their smaller neighbours and when geopolitics is clouded by emotions.