November 7, 2013

Anne Boleyn

Stagecraft continues it's great year with another well chosen and expertly staged piece of theatre. I don't think I have ever seen such consistently good productions.

The story of Anne Boleyn is well known so there should be no risk of spoilers. Who wants to see a play where ultimately the main character dies in such a horrible way? (Shakespearean plays aside) I was certainly reluctant. This play was not however, what I expected.

One person can change the course of history. But it's not as simple as you think. There are several candidates for this role aside from Anne. Issues of religion, politics and the role of women all come into play.

Ange Fitzharris as Anne and  Neil Connolly as James had particularly good accents. James so well in fact that his Scottish brogue was sometimes difficult to understand, it was funny to hear Billy Connelly's voice coming out of the mouth of a king (note the same surname!).

The actors maintained their own storylines even while in the background, whispering to each other. Little touches such as the facials of Chris O'Grady as Robert Cecil were fantastic.

Specially written to be performed in the Globe Theatre, Gryphon Theatre has been transformed to create a similar round stage. The actors directed comments to audience members and drew the crowd into the story, not a difficult task as the usual distance between stage and seating was gone. It was a unique take on theatre performance.

This wasn't the gloomy evening I expected. There was laughter and a breadth of history. 


Performances: 8pm Wednesday 6 - Saturday 9 and Thursday 14 - Saturday 16 November
3pm Sunday 10 November
6.30pm Tuesday 12 - Wednesday 13 November

Tickets: $20/22


2 comments:

  1. Um ... do you realise how hard it is to read the small font you have used? Just saying ...

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, technical glitch. I hope it's easier to read now.

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