Anne Boleyn, Shakespeare's Globe - review

In the court of the king: Mary Doherty (Lady Celia), Naomi Cranston (Lady Jane) and Miranda Raison (Anne Boleyn)
10 April 2012

Howard Brenton's ambitious history play, returning to The Globe after a successful run last summer, is a tribute to Henry VIII's second wife.

But it also celebrates the King James Bible.

Although that enduring feat of translation did not appear until Anne Boleyn had been dead for 75 years, it was indirectly inspired by this passionate woman who used her influence to promote religious reform.

At the outset we see King James I stumble upon Anne's legacy, and the action shifts between her prime in the 1530s and James's ascent in the early years of the next century. Instead of serving up a heavily didactic history lesson, Brenton depicts the past fluently. There are occasional nods to the wittily subversive humour of Blackadder, as well as some darts of up-to-date comedy.

Director John Dove makes good use of the Globe's space, and the silky pageantry never crowds out the anxieties of a politically and religiously sensitive age. Nor does it inhibit the theatricality of a production that always feels bright and vivid.

At its centre is Miranda Raison's determined Anne. Raison's crisp diction makes Anne seem intelligent and steely, yet she's also abundantly likeable.

Her relationship with Henry (the smoothly compelling Anthony Howell) is tender; we know that it will in the end be broken by the demands of his role as monarch but there is urgent affection here, especially when she's poised to steal off to bed with him and delightfully shoos away the audience.

There are also striking performances from Colin Hurley, who conveys Cardinal Wolsey's relish for accumulating power, and from James Garnon, a riot of twitches and devious flourishes as King James.

Brenton's play is a spicy slice of revisionist history. It's consistently entertaining, and a weak conclusion doesn't cancel out the impressiveness of the confrontations and crises that have gone before.

Anne captured Henry VIII's attention by throwing an orange at him during a spectacle at court.

Brenton's account of her turbulent life adopts a similarly eye-catching, confident approach. It sent me home eager to immerse myself in reading about the period it so imaginatively presents.

Until August 21 (020 7401 9919, shakespearesglobe.com)

Anne Boleyn
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
New Globe Walk, SE1 9DT

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