Merry Wives of Henry VIII

If there’s one period of history, or one English monarch everyone thinks they know a bit about, it’s the reign of Henry VIII. The second of The Tudors stamped his mark on the future of these fair isles by causing the break from the Catholic Church. It can be argued that seismic shift has influenced much of what has followed in politics and social development.That, however, is not what Distraction Theatre Company are interested in this gentle and mildly amusing romp. They endeavour, instead, to take us through a whistle stop tour of Henry’s love life, for if there is anything even today’s school kids know then it’s the fact the man was married six times. Just three performers (I was unable to obtain a program or cast list either at the venue or online) take on all the parts – not just Henry and his six spouses, but Cromwell, Cranmer, messengers, other mistresses and, of course, executioners. All three are terrific actors, bringing clarity and distinction to the portrayal of each role. The excellent costumes aid in this, and the speed of some of the changes is bewildering.There are some good gags here, though there is a problem of tone. It’s all a jolly romp, mainly, but the humour misfires sometimes. Jane Seymour, mother of Henry’s only longed for male heir, died in childbirth. The moment is played out behind a gauze in silhouette and is played for laughs (Nielson’s ‘All By Myself’ being played melodramatically at the moment Henry discovers the love of his life is dead). When Anne Boleyn is about to be executed, however, the actress repeats movingly the real words the ill-fated lass used on the scaffold. So beheading is worthy of serious treatment but death is childbirth is comic?This uncertain tone affects mainly the first half. Once we are into the fourth queen, the reputedly hideously ugly Anne Of Cleves, the production starts to feel more sure-footed, and the laughs are more genuinely earned. As a history lesson, of course, it’s futile, so many liberties being taken, but it’s a well-meaning and well-crafted piece. I wanted to laugh more. Perhaps one of the reasons I don’t think the comedy always works and when it does not well enough is that the actors are always having to rush off to change into the next costume rather than letting the thing settle. From a point of view of timing this can be disturbing for an audience. I think I could tell when there was padding in the scene on stage, there simply to allow someone offstage to furiously throw on another frock.As stated earlier, this is one of the crucial periods in the creation of the modern British identity. There’s nothing wrong in pastiching it for comic value, and if you go you’ll certainly have a giggle. I just think it’s all been sent up better before, notably by the Carry On team. Now they really did take liberties, especially in asking us to believe that six women wanted to marry Sid James.