Anne Boleyn

by Howard Brenton

Traditionally seen as either the pawn of an ambitious family maneuvered into the King's bed or as a predator manipulating her way to power, Anne—and her ghost—are seen in a very different light in Howard Brenton's epic play.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Tudor Period, 21st Century, History

115 pages, Paperback

First published July 22, 2010

Reviews

[Poppy ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You are foul madam.”
“ I am driven to it by foul men!”

I really enjoyed reading this, The Tudors are possibly my favourite time period in history and I think this covered the story well. I think the ending was too quickly cut off, I would’ve liked to see more of Anne after her and Henry’s relationship began to fall apart.. but it was interesting how they painted Henry in such a good light. Anne was brilliant.

[Tim Rideout · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Be careful of love. No, don’t be careful. Why not live for love? Why not live for a better world?’

Viewed from the court of James I, Anne Boleyn is fully realised in this intelligent and funny play.

This is not Boleyn the sexual predator or the passive victim, but a woman of principle, appetite and humour torn apart in a man’s world, as religion, politics and sex collide.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

te quiero mucho anne boleyn y queer james i and vi, we love to see it.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enormous fun, although like all plays about the Tudors, it suffers from the desire to make them relevant to contemporary causes. That being said, you would have to go a long way to come up with a more theatrical entrance for a title character than this play has!

Enjoyed reading it, would love to stage it.

[Elisem007 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good play,but kinda bizarre. It starts and ends with King James I/VI putting on women's clothes and thinking about Anne Boleyn.

[Bryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, a take on Anne Boleyn I had not seen before, showing her as both truly in love with Henry and also dedicated to religious reform & understanding how her relationship to Henry could accomplish that in England. I will gladly see it on stage if I ever have the opportunity.

[Melanie Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A creative exploration with a fresh (and long overdue) approach to depicting the persona of Anne Boleyn. She is credited with not only bravely acting upon the desirability of religious reform, but for challenging Cromwell's plans for siphoning off the financial proceeds of religious institutions and charities.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slightly different take to much of the Boleyn fare - painting Anne as motivated largely by religious zeal. An interesting play, worth seeing.

[Ann Bortnyik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

[Gothica Noctua · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thoughtful, humour-tinged play that explores Anne's aspirations as a religious reformer, contrasted with a truly eccentric King James I.

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got to see this play during its original run at Shakespeare's Globe in London in 2010, and it is a really great show. Brenton takes on the difficult, divisive, and complex figure of Anne Boleyn, who was and is seen alternately as an oversexed whore, a political pawn, a master of court politics, and a religious reformer. For Brenton all of these competing narratives seem to have a claim to truth, though he is most interested in portraying her as the woman who swayed Henry VIII to Protestantism and therefore indirectly led to the establishment of the Church of England. The play has a frame story set in 1603, focusing on the newly crowned James I whose reign was marked by a temporary lull in the religious tensions that arose during Henry VIII's reign. James navigates the troubled waters between the three great factions of late Renaissance English religious-politics: the Anglicans, the puritans/dissenters, and the closet Catholics. This action is interwoven with Anne's attempts to introduce Henry to the work of William Tyndale, the English religious reformer and early Protestant. She faces both personal and religious opposition in the persons of Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas More (never shown, but always threatened as a particularly violent opponent of Protestantism), and eventually her one time ally Thomas Cromwell.
https://youtu.be/8kNRe-cyoD4

[Candy Wood]

When I saw this play in July 2011, I was fascinated by the character of King James as played by James Garnon, but on the page, Anne takes over. After all, Brenton says in his introduction that he intended the play to “celebrate” her life and contribution, and his Anne wants to bring England to the Protestant faith as much as she wants to marry Henry and be queen. That makes Thomas Cromwell the villain, gladly betraying first Wolsey, then Anne, and putting Jane Seymour in Henry’s way besides. As in published Shakespeare plays, nothing on the page indicates that the play was written for performance at the Globe, but the many speeches “Aside” work especially well in that open space where actors and playgoers are all in the same light. Reading allows for more reflection than Globe performance practice does, and Brenton’s play holds up under that kind of attention.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This play shows a side of Anne that doesn't come out in most stories, especially movies and TV: the her endorsement of Protestantism at the beginning of the Reformation, when it was still dangerous. This is more than just wanting Henry to divorce Catherine, but a real conversion. That's why Tyndal shows up in the play. One important element is the humor, which had me laughing even reading it to myself. That's unusual for me. It is a funny and macabre play. Other uncommon aspects: Henry's affection until Cromwell dupes him and Henry's love of the Princess Elizabeth. James I's portions of the play show him as almost deranged; I don't know how traditional that picture is of him.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some problems that need to be solved in production. Most of them are trying to make sense of the sheer amount of history, and Brenton works hard to provide a through line. Anne is still a bit of an enigma, but that is part of her appeal. I'm not sure how I feel about the asides, but if they are done stylistically and purposeful I think they could be effective. I love this period of history, so I may be a bit biased. Overall, I loved it.

[MBP]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2011/...

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really sad that I didn't get to see this performed at the Globe this year, but really happy that they had the book to buy at the gift shop! I loved this. Really.

[Fionnuala · Rating 5 out of 5]

James 1 is hilarious, Anne Boleyn is mad and terrifying so I loved this!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish I'd been able to see this when it was at the Globe.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the play... so I'm biased towards the book... A worthy portrayal of a tragic queen