Henry VIII at Folger Theatre

Henry VIII

Folger Theatre
201 East Capitol Street, SE Washington

This compelling revelation of the lives of the royals rivals the intrigue of any current docudrama. Shakespeare's final history play reverberates with power struggles—both political and personal—as Henry's advisors, paramour Anne Boleyn, and Queen Katherine all vie for the favor of the King. Featuring Ian Merrill Peakes as King Henry VIII.

Thru - Nov 28, 2010

Price: $30-$60

Show Type: Drama

Running Time: 2hrs; 30 mins with 1 intermission

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Henry VIII Reviews

Average Rating based on 5 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Recommended

"...Butelli has the toughest job, as he not only has to serve the director's iffiest concepts, but also play several supporting roles -- among them, an old lady friend of Anne's -- that draw a bit too much attention to themselves. (For even foggier reasons, the character of Henry's daughter Mary, played by singer Megan Steigerwald, has been created for this version, too.) Still, when you tabulate the net effect of all of Richmond's additions and subtractions, the tally leaves you contentedly in the plus column."

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- Peter Marks

Washington Examiner - Highly Recommended

"...“Henry VIII” is not often performed, in part because of a superstition associated with its premiere. A cannon was fired to announce the king’s entrance in Act I, and the Globe Theatre caught fire and burned to the ground. Another reason to be grateful to Richmond et al. for this excellent, neatly focused production."

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- Barbara Mackay

Washington City Paper - Highly Recommended

"...The production's other great success is a directorial innovation: the deployment of an impish Louis Butelli as Will Sommers, the king's jester, who's not in the original at all, but who here seems as essential as that dynamic musical underscoring, and as unifying an influence, too. He introduces the play with the usual prologue—"I come no more to make you laugh," he warns us—and then he returns again and again, with magic tricks and conjurer's flourishes, summoning scenes with an evocative gesture and banishing characters when their moment is done. He plays bit parts and fulcrum characters, too, from a too-knowing waiting-woman gossiping with Anne Boleyn to that crucial second cardinal, whose seeming independence is calculated to give the devious Wolsey cover to work Henry's will."

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- Trey Graham

Two Hours Traffic - Somewhat Recommended

"...So can you create a good evening of theatre with a bad text? Well you can, or at least the Folger production of this play, directed by Robert Richmond, comes as close as may be possible. The production is aided by some amazing visuals thanks to the set design of Tony Cisek, the lighting design of Klyph Stanford, and the sumptuous costumes by William Ivey Long. Richmond wisely has his actors play the parts straightforwardly. Shakespeare/Fletcher/? refused to write a villain in this play, so everyone in the Folger production plays their characters as though they are just people trying to do what they think is best. And I think that is what you have to do, otherwise every time someone started talking about how virtuous Anne Boleyn is or how something good will surely come from this, it would just be too absurd."

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DCTheatreScene - Somewhat Recommended

No heads will roll at the Folger this month. Ian Merrill Peakes strikes a brooding tone on the promotional art for Henry VIII, with an unbuttoned tunic and a smoldering stare to rival the one summoned by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. But unlike that actor’s fiery exploits on Showtime’s drama "The Tudors", Peakes must act his regal role within the confines of a script that, although written by our greatest playwright, isn’t actually that great.

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- Hunter Styles

Henry VIII at Folger Theatre

Henry VIII

Henry VIII Reviews

Washington Post - Recommended

Washington Examiner - Highly Recommended

Washington City Paper - Highly Recommended

Two Hours Traffic - Somewhat Recommended

DCTheatreScene - Somewhat Recommended

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