It has, admittedly, had 397 years to brace itself, but it’s still brave of the Globe to revisit Henry VIII. It was during a performance of this spectacle-heavy, psychological acuity-light drama in 1613 that a stage cannon set fire to the thatched roof and burned the theatre down. This new production is unlikely to set anything ablaze.
A rarely performed "late late" Shakespeare, probably written in collaboration with John Fletcher, the play is a frustratingly centrifugal affair, with scenes sparking into fitful life and then fizzling away. It’s hard to ascertain exactly where the focus lies, not least because Henry struggles to be the hero of his own play.
Dominic Rowan is one of a number of good actors — Spooks star Miranda Raison as Anne Boleyn is another — stranded in rather thankless parts.
The first few scenes, full of knotty disputes about taxes, don’t make for an easy way in. Gradually, though, we understand that there’s religious politicking aplenty, in the ambiguous figure of Cardinal Wolsey (Ian McNeice) and marital intrigue too, as the King embarks on the process of substituting wife number one for a newer model.
As befits such a pageantry-stuffed work, the Globe has been got up to look more lavish than usual, and the addition of a forestage among the groundlings offers a more humanising dimension. Director Mark Rosenblatt adds interiority to scenes through some well-placed tableaux, but I don’t reckon we’ll be seeing this Shakespearean Henry again any time soon.
In rep until August 21. Information: 020 7401 9919; www.shakespeares-globe.org
Henry VIII
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
New Globe Walk, SE1 9DT
