The Other Boleyn Girl

Chichester Festival Theatre, 11/05/24

Credit: Stephen Cummiskey

Final rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

A trip outside of London took me to this exciting site of upcoming talent – Chichester Festival Theatre is big! The stage was hexagonal and on the floor was a large white print of Henry VIII’s face. There were swords suspended above the space, and the show was performed in thrust. The first notable thing about this production was the almost non existent set; the story was told only through music, lighting, and dialogue – and apart from the occasional moment that took place stood on the rim of the hexagon, everything played out in the one central space. It was interesting to note depend on any semblance of a set for nearly 3 hours of theatre. But the costumes were so good, you pretty much don’t notice the lack of scenery – the stunning Tudor dresses a particular highlight.

So – the play itself. It’s a tense, feverish plot that tracks the Boleyn family’s quest to power, and it’s a gripping watch. The three siblings are extraordinary – Freya Mavor as Anne, Lucy Phelps as Mary and James Corrigan as George all bring something dynamic to their roles. We start with the three of them, playfully dreaming of the future – which immediately gives us a sense of the tightness of the relationship and foreshadows the incest to come that ultimately brings their downfall. Mary is forced into compromising positions – both politically and sexually – as her mother, Alex Kingston, and her uncle, Andrew Woodall, plot to install her as the new queen of England. It is the tragedy of helplessness that tells the story with conviction. Kingston plays the role as a heartless witch, and Woodall is as much commanding as he is terrifying. As Mary grows weary while giving birth to the King’s son, Anne fills in and soon becomes Henry’s sole interest. The power-grabbing and risks unfolding before our eyes are gripping.

We are thrust into the Tudor court with song and dance – and even real Lute playing – giving an almost Shakespearean feel to the drama. The swords from above lowered at points to form a bedchamber, which was executed fabulously. And the eerie soundtrack and effects that played to help punctuate the scene transitions really brought everything together. Amongst the tragedy were some lighter moments, with some characters spouting the odd line that became particularly funny with the audience’s benefit of hindsight. Though there were a few small moments that could have been cut from the script to save time, as it did feel just slightly too long.

Overall though, this eerie Tudor drama played out spectacularly and kept me on the edge of my seat, rooting for Mary and terrified for the rest of the Boleyn family.