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Mike Poulton’s adaptation of Philippa Gregory’s novel The Different Boleyn Lady proves a stately affair at Chichester Competition Theatre
“Beds are enterprise ventures”
Although the roundabout of recent Inventive Administrators at theatres up and down the land continues, we’re now beginning to see a few of these appointments bear fruit. The Different Boleyn Lady marks Justin Audibert’s debut manufacturing for Competition 2024 at Chichester Competition Theatre and maybe inevitably, undoubtedly properly, there’s no actual rocking of the boat at this stalwart establishment of the south coast.
Written in 2001, Philippa Gregory’s novel kickstarted a collection of a minimum of 15 books in her Plantagenet and Tudor Novels collection, so it’s a little stunning that it has taken over 20 years for it to reach on stage (it made it onto TV in 2003 and movie in 2008). Clocking in at a shade below 3 hours, it’s clear that Mike Poulton’s adaptation has taken care to respect its supply materials, making certain that the enduring recognition of the Tudors is in no hazard right here.
The result’s one thing that may appear protected however on the similar time, feels archetypally Chichester. Elegant and stately fairly than enthralling and startling, Lucy Bailey’s manufacturing seems extremely putting within the area carved out by Joanna Parker’s hexagonal pit, on which a pleasingly hefty solid perform their enterprise of retelling chosen chapters of Henry VIII’s intercourse life. Chris Davey’s lighting performs fantastically with the depth of the design too, choosing out beautiful tableaux upstage.
And for all of the familiarity of this time interval, Gregory and Poulton do tease out a compelling story of the human price of dynastic posturing, the Boleyn household’s drive for energy and affect within the Tudor courtroom coming at differing however harrowing price for its three kids. Lucy Phelps is great as Mary, the one whose life is upended in an effort to go seize Henry’s consideration and it’s her throughline, because the title character natch, that guides us by way of to the potential for redemption by the tip.
That she will do as a result of Freya Mavor’s Anne is the one who lands the debatable prize of chief royal mistress, her powers of haughty seduction coming by way of however the agonising actuality of not with the ability to ship an inheritor creating an emotional vortex, which sucks in brother George (James Corrigan) too – actually. Throw in weighty work from Alex Kingston as their matriarch, interesting work from Jacob Ifan because the cuckolded William Carey, sprightly music from Orlando Gough and it’s a high quality if standard bundle.
Operating time: 3 hours (with interval)
Images: Stephen Cummiskey
The Different Boleyn Lady is reserving at Chichester Competition Theatre till eleventh Could
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