Henry VIII – Globe Theatre, London

A review of Henry VIII at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. Find out why this is one of the Bard’s lesser-performed works, and what this production is all about.

Henry VIII

A feature of the Globe’s Shakespearean mission which I appreciate is its commitment to staging all of the Bard’s works, not just the popular ones.  Sure, I’ve seen A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet and The Tempest here within the last year or so.  But on a fine summer’s evening recently I also had the chance to see Henry VIII. 

Now, you might well ask “But why is Henry VIII such a little-performed play?”  And the answer, dear readers, is because it is certainly not Shakespeare’s best work.  Could it ever have been, when it was such recent history?  In the Bard’s defence, it is also an acknowledged collaboration, with John Fletcher.

So faced with a middling play, the creative team behind this Globe production have… got creative.  There’s a blinging set, all royal purple and gold with tracksuit codpieces (not a phrase I ever thought I would write).  And spoiler alert: one of my favourite moments on stage involved a massive, gold, inflatable willy.  Playwright Hannah Khalil also has a hand in the text on this occasion, drawing on other works and a speech by Queen Elizabeth I herself to amplify women’s voices.

Yet the overall effect still isn’t quite Shakespeare at his best.  A lot of the building blocks are there: straight-talking commoners speaking to the audience.  A bit of political intrigue.  Heights of emotion, wrapped up in a neat ending.  Music and song (here led by Genevieve Dawson).  But at the end of the day ‘the play’s the thing’.  Just not a great play on this occasion.

Courtly Intrigues

Despite these textual shortcomings, there are elements which work well in this production.  Bea Segura as Katherine of Aragon was a standout for me.  She imbues the role with all of the conflicted feelings of the woman discarded for lack of a male heir, after many years of marriage and service.  Her impassioned speech while awaiting the verdict from Rome was for me better than her deathbed scene, but I think that’s my inner feminist talking.

There was also quite a nice scene where Cardinal Wolsey (Jamie Ballard), hands over to successor Thomas Cromwell (Esmonde Cole).  Hands over quite literally, stripping himself of his cardinal vestments and disburdening himself of his wordly plotting and grasping.  Incapable of giving up his worldly plotting is Adam Gillen’s slightly unhinged Henry VIII.  After seeing George Fouracres as Hamlet earlier in the year, I’m wondering if there’s something in the current global political climate that is making it appealing to play Shakespearean leaders as a little psychopathic?  No further comments.

All in all, I think Henry VIII is worth a trip mainly if you are collecting the full Shakespearean set.  Or if you have a fiver spare and get a standing space as a groundling.  Otherwise there is more coming this season at the Globe that will have all of the same great production elements, with a bit more to the play itself to keep audiences entertained.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3/5

Henry VIII on until 21 October 2022