Review: 1536, Almeida Theatre

Photo credit: Helen Murray

“Will it always be like this? I don’t know”. Well Besties, after watching 1536 at the Almeida Theatre, we will venture that many of the trials and tribulations women faced 500 years ago sadly remain the same in the 21st Century.

Ava Pickett’s debut play takes place against the unique background of Anne Boleyn’s arrest and subsequent execution by King Henry VIII for adultery and treason. The royal drama happening in London is mirrored by the action taking place in the rural field in Essex where we meet Anna, Mariella, and Jane. In this fast, fiery, and funny play, rumours and gossip fly and threaten to bubble into violence for these modern women struggling to navigate the barbaric and misogynist world of Tudor England.

The play opens with Anna thrust up against a tree and these powerful visuals continue throughout this pacy story, with direction by Lyndsey Turner ensuring the single location, a dried-out field of long grass and a single tree, does not become too static. There is wonderfully simple but striking and emotive design; a collaboration of set, lighting and sound by Max Jones, Jack Knowles and Tingying Dong respectively, which allows us to focus on the lives of our characters in Essex but not forget the drama of the wider world.

1536 draws dark and relevant parallels between Tudor England and the modern day. In the current context of new stories about attacks on women: “Just because something isn’t taken by violence, doesn’t mean it isn’t taken” is a line that particularly resonates and is a prime example why this show makes you think. Pickett’s brilliant and playful use of humour tempers the serious nature of the subject making this show accessible in what can sometimes be seen as a stuffy genre. Although we wish that, at times, a moment longer was left to allow for the laughter, so you did not miss hearing the next line. This critique can also be applied to the closing of play which felt slightly rushed. With a run time of 1 hour and 50 minutes, 1536 lacks an interval, a common trend, but perhaps a break could have allowed for an even greater build of tension and space for the audience to further consider some of the shocking revelations of the story and fate of Anne Boleyn.

Led by the terrific trio of Liv Hill, Siena Kelly, and Tanya Reynolds, you get a heartwarming and genuine sense of friendship between the three women, a spectrum of personalities attempting to navigate the changing definition of a good woman in a world ruled by men. Liv Hill is naive and loveable as Jane, the bringer of news from London, who is desperate and nervous to marry. Tanya Reynolds plays Mariella, a reluctant midwife who brings a matriarchal stability to the trio despite navigating unrequited love. Firecracker Anna completes the trio, and Siena Kelly delivers a brilliantly nuanced performance, fizzling with youthful and sexual energy she is a woman too modern for her time. Angus Cooper and Adam Hugill complete the cast; their appearances are fleeting but vital as the oppressors in this powerful and pertinent story.

1536 is a compelling and accomplished debut by Ava Pickett, a fresh and timeless story of womanhood told by a fantastic cast through a unique historical lens.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Sophie Luck

1536 plays at London’s Almeida Theatre until 7 June, with further info here.