Henry VIII

'Press not a falling man too far!'

Henry VIII is one of Shakespeare's final plays, a political thriller based on the power struggle between the Tudor court and the eponymous King's ambitious first minister, Cardinal Wolsey. Though famous in its own time as the most extravagant of the playwright's own creations, the work is hardly performed today; Mark Rosenblatt's spectacular 2010 production was the Globe Theatre's first staging of the historical drama since 1613 and, featuring stellar performances from Dominic Rowan, Miranda Raison and Anthony Howell, it bursts with intrigue.

Synopsis

The Tudor Court is locked in a power struggle between its nobles and the Machiavellian Cardinal Wolsey, the King's first minister and the most conspicuous symbol of Catholic power in the land. Wolsey's ambition knows no bounds and when his chief ally, Queen Katherine, interferes in the King's romance with Anne Bullen, he brings gigantic ruin upon himself, the Queen and centuries of English obedience to Rome.

Running time: 161 mins