Review: Anne Boleyn The Musical (Hever Castle)

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Review by Izzy Tierney

Set in the very place she was raised, Anne Boleyn The Musical follows the life of the historical icon through her childhood spent in France, her return to the English court and her marriage to Henry VIII, who in a few short years would have her beheaded. With a backdrop as striking as Hever Castle, this show needed to match the standard set by its stunning surroundings, and I'm thrilled to say it most certainly did.

The immersive open-air nature of the show is nothing new for Belgian-based theatre company Historalia Productions, as for ten years they have been showcasing musicals that incorporate Belgium's historic sites; however, this marks their first ever UK show. A key element of a Historalia musical is the building of a community, with local volunteers bringing the shows to life both on and off the stage. The result is joyous to watch as a community cast of children (who are clearly loving performing) make an impressive ensemble.

The beginning is slightly rocky, with a quick montage showing Anne as a child leaving for Belgium, being sent to France and finally returning home as an adult, but once the backstory is given and the narrative can properly begin, the show finds a good pace and manages to explore Anne's life during her reign and the years leading up to it. Rebecca Night's book is detailed enough to allow you to connect to Anne and care about her as a person, but is refined enough to know which scenes require more time and dialogue, and which events of Anne's life can merely be mentioned or briefly shown to ensure a large amount of history can fit nicely into a two hour period. At no point does the script feel like a history lesson with drama, comedy and sweeping emotions being prevalent throughout.

Both Sam Gevers' music and Rebecca Night and Sam Kenyon's lyrics encapsulate the tone of the show brilliantly and move through it like an anchoring motif, one that is always enjoyable. Robert Innes-Hopkins’ set design is beautifully clean, with two sets of stairs being moved around to create different scenes, and Michel Jacob's lighting working magically with the natural light and backdrop of Hever Castle. The creative team more than succeeds with their vision of a stage that includes the gorgeous grounds it sits upon, whilst still remaining interesting on its own.

Directing this feat of a show with perfect execution (pun intended) is Roxana Silbert, who utilises the space expertly to add to the immersive element of the show. Action takes place not only on the stage and in the aisles, but also on the lawn behind, making the world of this musical feel even bigger with Maypole dancing going on in the background and real horses being ridden (who performed majestically and were obviously the highlight of the show for me).

Leading the show as Anne Boleyn is the magnificent Emily Lane. Her entire performance is a faultless pleasure to watch and listen to, as she captivates the audience immediately and takes them along for her journey with great comedic timing, believable anguish and spectacular vocals. Her and Joshua Oakes-Rogers as George Boleyn bring good chemistry to their sweet sibling relationship, and Kim Ismay as Joan takes on the role of a motherly figure wonderfully, whilst also bringing some fun comic relief. Playing opposite Lane as King Henry VIII is Mark Goldthorp, who delivers an excellent and nuanced performance of a man capable of real cruelty underneath the fun, charming exterior.

The essence of the show is the heart and personality of Anne Boleyn; her intelligence, her passion, her resilience, and her love, especially for her daughter Elizabeth. We meet Elizabeth as a woman (played by Dona Atallah) for the final scene, shown by a simple but impactful transition of young Elizabeth riding out of view on her horse as her older counterpart takes to the stage, where she delivers the concluding speech of the evening, written as a lovely tribute to her mother. She eloquently tells the audience how she will go on to become Queen Elizabeth I, citing her mother as an inspiration with the beautiful line, “I rose like a phoenix from her ashes”. It's an emotional ending, and despite there obviously being no surprises in the plot, it still left me teary-eyed; a true testament to the writing and magnificent performance by Emily Lane.

My only warning is to those who wear glasses - this production uses silent disco headphones to create an immersive sound experience, which works well, but unfortunately left me with a headache after causing my glasses to dig into my head. It didn't spoil the show for me, but if you can manage without or have the option of contact lenses, I'd recommend going glasses-free! Unique, heartfelt and visually stunning, Anne Boleyn The Musical is a truly incredible experience delivered by a fantastic cast, and most importantly, two very pretty horses.

Anne Boleyn The Musical is playing at Hever Castle until 30th August.

Tickets from: https://tickets.historalia.co.uk/anne-boleyn

Photos by Daniel Watson