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‘A well overdue production of an elusive play’: HENRY VIII – Shakespeare’s Globe ★★★★

In London theatre, Opinion, Other Recent Articles, Plays, Reviews by Debbie GilpinLeave a Comment

Written in collaboration with John Fletcher, Henry VIII is quite possibly Shakespeare’s final play – but, despite this country’s continued obsession with all things Tudor, it remains a rarely performed piece. Imagine the delight of Shakespeare completists everywhere when it was announced as part of the Globe’s 2022 summer season, this time in a slightly updated version that sees Hannah Khalil (resident writer) become the third collaborator; the original has a heavy male focus, thanks in part to the two (male) playwrights having to work around the expectations of the establishment to avoid censorship and arrest – but now 400 years have passed, it’s about time the female voices in this story were heard as well.

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Photos and podcast: Talking politics and musicals at The Buskers Opera

In Audio, Features, Interviews, London theatre, Musicals, Opinion by Terri PaddockLeave a Comment

While the basic structure and characters are owed to Gay, the zany genius of The Buskers Opera calls more modern political and satirical influences most strongly to my mind. I’d liken it to a cross between Mike Bartlett‘s future history play King Charles III and Urinetown or, to bring it bang up to date with London’s current musical landscape, The Toxic Avenger.