[spoilers] Jo/Miranda Raison

[Nia M]

Sorry this is rather belated, but as you can see, this wasn’t just a quick ten-minute job of a review! So – finally – here’s my account of the play.

I went to watch the play on the 7th of August which, something I did not realise when I booked my tickets, was the Audio-Described performance. Firstly, huge credit to the Globe / Anne Boleyn people for providing this service – I think it’s a wonderful idea. I personally do not have a hearing impairment, and when I realised I was attending this special performance I was a little worried that it might interfere with the watching of the play, but I never even noticed anyone in the background / foreground doing the audio description, and you could totally tell from that it was a great thing to have there for the audience.

Now, firstly, I’m going to gush a little bit about the theatre itself. I’d never been to the Globe before, only walked past it two weeks previously. I wouldn’t say I’m a Shakespeare super-fan, but I do enjoy his plays, as well as the history behind the theatre itself, so for me it was just incredible to be in that theatre and watching a play (never mind that it wasn’t one of Shakespeare’s). I would whole-heartedly recommend to any theatre-goer/-enjoyer that you simply have to see a play there, because the whole atmosphere and experience is just fantastic.

There’s a projection out from the stage (at the same level) into the standing area, which the actors used a fair bit, so the action really was right among the audience. Downstage left and DSR there were two benches, right next to the edge of the stage, which were similarly used a fair bit, so again you did come really close to the audience. I had a standing ticket (aka I was a ‘groundling’) and I only about 7 foot from the stage for the first act (I was near DSL), and about 12 feet from it for the second (still on the left-hand side (audience perspective) of the stage projection / catwalk kind of thing, but further back from the stage and a bit closer to the projections than I had been before). Both places I stood had pretty good views of basically everything that was going on, but that doesn’t mean I’m saying (if you’re going to see it) stand where I was for the best view – it all depends out your height, and the height of the people in front of you



So, above is a link to a picture of the stage. In case you can’t read the words, they say ‘I am with you all ways’ on the left, and ‘Even unyll the ende’ on the right. The bit in the middle is an ‘H’ and an ‘A’ together – for Henry and Anne. In the middle, above the stage, were the three (from the angle I was stood at I could only see three) musicians, who I will just say were superb. They kicked off the whole show (at this point I got told to put my camera away) with a little introductory music, and throughout the performance were just there in the background doing brilliantly.

The majority of the cast came out onto the stage and went over to talk and wave to various people in the audience – not people they knew though, just random audience members – and ask them stuff like ‘Is this your first time to the Globe’, ‘I hope you enjoy the show’ etc. I didn’t get to speak to any of them because I was a bit further back, but from what I could hear of their conversations with the audience, they all seemed really nice. (I know, they’re actors, but still ) Miranda Raison wasn’t among those who came out, but a couple of the other really main cast (James Garnon who played King James I’m sure was among them) were.

So, show is about to start, actors go off-stage, and we see the reason why MR wasn’t among them – she comes out now, and the play begins. She’s wearing a simple white dress, her hair is pinned up (and blonde! Well, fair anyway, but certainly not black / very dark brown like in the publicity posters for the play) and she’s carrying a large bag.

Throughout the play, the idea is that when she’s dressed in the white dress, she’s appearing as the post-execution Anne Boleyn, in a sort of come-back-to-haunt you kind of way. Well, perhaps not haunt, but the idea is that she’s sort of overseeing James I of England as he ascends to the throne, and begins the Reformation. At some points she does interact with him on stage, almost giving advice / warnings to him from beyond the grave, at other points she’s not there and it’s just James and his court (because the play is not wholly about Anne Boleyn, but also about James too) and at other times it’s Anne’s story right from her being asked to be Henry VIII’s mistress right through to her death, in a flash-back kind of style (Anne in full Tudor regalia and costume rather than just the white execution dress). So actually there’s a bit of history here too (although, not being an expert on the Tudor / Stuart era, I couldn’t say whether it’s historically accurate or not).

What I was also not expecting of the play, was for it to be a comedy. Okay, I’ll admit I was only really going to see it for two reasons; a) MR was in it and b) it was a play at the Globe. And even the latter was just my justification to the parents for going to see the play (although I did use the whole ‘I like the Tudor history’ excuse too with them). So basically I pretty much had no idea what to expect in this play – no idea of the plot (initially wasn’t bothered, then didn’t want to ruin it for myself), the other cast (MR was the only one I really bothered about) etc. I went into the play basically with just the knowledge that it was about Anne Boleyn, but was different to the stories we already have about her, starred MR, and was written by Howard Brenton (a former Spooks writer). Probably not really the best attitude to have.

So yes, I was very pleasantly surprised by the whole comedy of the play. Even from the opening scene, where Anne works the audience up by holding her bag and going “Do you want to see it? Who wants to see it? Do you? You? I’ll show them. Are you ready? *closes bag* No, I won’t... I cannot see the advantage in it... So you can’t see! You can’t! Or would it be fun? Would it be a scandal? Better: would it make you laugh? Oh, that’s all right then... here... Ready? Look! *takes out her Bible* It’s my Bible! ... What did you think I was going to show you? This? *brings out severed head*’ Slightly pantomimic perhaps, but brilliant nonetheless. And the severed head was brilliant – the eyes could be pulled open and everything, and it really looked just like MR.

I will say though, the character that takes the cake when it came to the comedy had to be James I. I’m not quite sure whether the actor was Scottish himself, but the accent seemed to be rather put on. You could argue that, if it is an accent being adopted for the part, there were times when it lapsed a little, but since that just added to the sheer farcical nature of his character, it may probably have been deliberate. In which case, it totally worked. So among the accent, the funny convulsions (both physical twitching, and impeded speech), the prancing around in drag and sexual innuendo (great work from Howard Brenton with the script!), I may even go so far as to say he was my joint favourite character. (I won’t say he was my favourite, for fear of what the MR/Jo fans will do to me... *ducks*)

The supporting cast were also very very good. In true Shakespearian style, most of them were playing multiple parts (impressively quick costume changes by the way from everyone, and indeed superb costumes on the whole), and many of them sang. Mary Doherty (Lady Celia / First Countrywoman) had a particularly good voice distinguishable above the others, and there were two men (cannot remember who) who, when they sang just the two of them, sounded really lovely.

They play wasn’t all comedic – there were some rather heated confrontation scenes, especially between Anne and Henry (although the one I’m thinking of did end up with her jeering “Woolly, woolly, Wolsey” and the two of laughing and falling to the floor, and then Henry asking to be allowed further than her knee and a view from behind, so not entirely without comedy), and later on when it came more to Anne’s downfall and the break from the Catholic Church it became more serious – but that’s what for me was most memorable, especially in the first act (which indeed ended with Anne finally consenting, while in Calais, to sleep with Henry, and MR then announcing the interval before the pair rushed offstage).

Now, by this time, it had started raining slightly (always a danger in an open-air theatre, along with helicopters going overhead – I think there were about three that went over while I was there. Not exactly authentic Shakespeare, but hey, can’t be helped – and the wind picking up and making it a little harder to hear). True professionals, the actors did still (although I suspect only when necessary, and they avoided it for the sake of the costumes/hair/makeup) leave the shelter of the cover over the stage (which you can see in my picture above), but we in the audience (well, the groundlings like me anyway – the seats going around the edge of the theatre are all undercover) were getting a little soggy. I, being me, only had an umbrella on me, which clearly I couldn’t put up, so I had to put my scarf over my head until the interval came and I could buy one of those clear plastic poncho things from the Globe Shop (at a very reasonable £2). I also bought a copy of the play while there (which is how I’m able to quote lines from the play now – I, unfortunately, so not have such an incredible memory as to be able to memorise things I’ve only heard once, and remember them one week later) for £8.99, which again I thought fairly good. And if you are unfortunate enough to want to see the play but can’t, for whatever reason (if you’ve not already got tickets to see it, they’ve been sold out for over a week now ) then I’d recommend getting a copy of the play text. Obviously it’s not the same as watching the play (and seeing MR in it), but the play itself is great on its own (at least, I would think it is personally, but I’m probably not the best person to be asking given that I’m biased). Also, for people who have seen the play, it’s brilliant in keeping your memory of it fresh in mind.

So anyway, this is when I get a little upset. (Feel free to skip this bit if you’re only interested in the play itself, not my personal experience of going to see it). When I went to pay for the rain poncho and play text in the shop, I dropped my ticket. (Word of advice: keep your ticket in a pocket at all times, not a very very stuffed full bag where moving just anything will dislodge it and send it floating to the ground.) Wanting to get back into the theatre as soon as possible so as to bag the best place (it’s free-standing in the pit – first come, first served) I started rooting around for my ticket. And I couldn’t find it. I found a quiet corner where I could sit down and completely empty my bag, pockets etc. in case it was buried in the depths, and I still couldn’t find it. So I went down to the ticket office to try to see if I could buy another one (because £5 to be able to get back in would have been so worth it – oh yeah, my ticket was only £5! Programme was £3.50, so in total my Globe visit cost me £19.49 (not including travel to London and back) which is, I believe, cheaper than the cheapest seated ticket. So worth standing for about 4 hours!) but to my distress, this is where I see the sign saying something like ‘Anne Boleyn sold out for rest of season’. So unless I find my ticket, I’m not going to be able to see the rest. The bell sounds (proper ringing bell ) for the beginning of the second half, and by this time I am on the floor again, panicking, searching through my things again to try and find this darned ticket. I’m of half a mind to phone up my parents and ask what to do, half of a mind to just give up and leave, but instead I find my booking reference (I booked my tickets via debit card over the website, and because I booked with less than a week before the performance I was going to see, I had to go pick up my tickets from the Box Office – for this I needed my emailed confirmation of purchase that had my booking reference on it) and approach one of the stewards on the door back into the theatre. Now, when I panic, I start to cry a bit, so you can imagine that I look pretty distraught right now, clutching my booking reference and practically begging to be let back in. The lady on the door looked at my booking reference, I showed her the hat I had from inside (they were handing out these ‘hats’ - aka piece of card with lines cut into it, so that you could pull it onto your head and it would be a sun shade. My hair’s too soft and slippery, so it just slid straight off for me, but I kept hold of mine anyway as a memento - inside the actual theatre, not just in the building outside, so I could only have gotten it if I had actually been inside / picked up one from the floor that someone had dropped / stolen it off someone who had been inside – and honestly I don’t look like the kind of person who would steal / do something like that. Just saying) and she and a colleague asked me if I had been inside already (I, obviously, said yes) and (OMG SO SO SO KINDLY!!) allowed me through. In hindsight, I could also have shown them the pictures and videos I had of inside the theatre, and the rain poncho I had come outside to buy – I told them I had come out to go to the shop, but not said about the poncho – because it had been raining, and come on, who’d really buy one of those to wear unless it was an emergency and you needed something for the theatre quickly, but I didn’t think of this at the time, and apparently I didn’t need to, thanks to the amazing staff. And about fifteen seconds later, as I’m heading for the theatre door, I feel a tap on my shoulder, and it’s the same little old lady steward who let me through – she asks me if I went into the shop, I say yes, and SHE HANDS OVER MY TICKET!!! (Okay, I’m already in by now so don’t need it, but I wanted it back for sentimental value / a memento anyway.) And I know it’s my ticket because it’s got my surname on it (because I booked over the internet via debit card – I had to bring in ID when I came to collect it from the Box Office) which just makes it even better (although she didn’t ask for ID when she handed it over). All I can say is that I love that woman, and the whole of the Globe staff (even the guy who told me to turn off my camera.)

So I’m back in the theatre now (you can come back by the way if you skipped the above paragraph ) and because I’m back in a bit later than everyone else (not before Act Two starts though, thank goodness) I’m a little further from the stage. But no matter, because I can still see everything, and I’m even a bit closer to the projection bit. I just about get the darn rain poncho on (although for the whole time I was there, I didn’t realise it had sleeve holes, so I’m rustling about trying to keep it covering my head but not my face – a very difficult balance – without being able to use my arms properly) in time for the act to begin.

And it opened hilariously – James I, in drag, wearing Anne’s coronation gown, engaging in a little romance with George Villiers. (No clue if this is historically accurate by the way). A lot of this act was focused more towards James and the Reformation by the way, but it still retained moments of hilarity, and MR was still around in the Anne/Henry/court/William Tyndale scenes. Even so, even the Anne scenes were a lot more serious – by this point we’re getting to the more gritty stuff of her story; Anne is now Queen by title but not accepted by the people, her miscarriages and deformed stillbirth – all preceding her execution obviously (which is not shown on stage at all). You also have some more of the story of her and William Tyndale (the author of many ‘heretical’ books, such as ones that encouraged the idea of the King being head of the Church in England, not the Pope – which encouraged the break from Rome), and the implications of Henry now taking a fancy to Jane Seymour, and now comes in the idea that Jane Rochford (one of Anne’s ladies, married to Anne’s brother George) is blackmailed by Cromwell to state that Anne is an adulteress.

The final scene is that of one between Anne and James I (who never met in reality I suppose, so this is the whole ghostly advice/haunting thing I mentioned) again, but is basically what makes the story different to that of other AB tales – it is in this scene that they establish that it was not Anne’s fault:
James: It was the money, wasn’t it? That’s why you fell.
Anne: Men and the money.
James: I looked at the records of the dissolution of monasteries. I saw how Cromwell filched thousands. I have an eye for accounts.
Anne: The money was meant for schools, universities, houses for the relief of the poor. Cromwell stole it.
James: You were going to tell King Henry.
Anne: The last three weeks I was alive, I couldn’t speak to Henry, couldn’t send a message. Cromwell cut me off. While he told his lies.

I also rather liked the final humour of:
Anne: Royal families are different.
James: You mean others only dream of cutting off the heads of wives and mothers?


And again the rather more serious thought:
James: Why is it that all we do in the name of God is always exactly the same as what we need to do in our own self-interest?

And then finally when the cast were taking their bows, they all danced a kind of jig (probably wasn’t technically a jig, but it was a fun sort of dance nonetheless) to round it all off.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the play, and not just because of MR or the Globe. As I touched upon, the music, writing, costumes, general atmosphere as well as the whole cast was just wonderful, and it make for a very very enjoyable performance (in spite of the lost ticket scare! In fact, I’d hasten to say that I appreciated the second half even more, because I was so close to missing out on it) which I would highly recommend to anyone who hadn’t seen it. I realise that tickets are no longer available, but I sincerely hope that they have filmed a performance and will be putting it on a DVD, because I could so easily go back to watch it again, and for anyone who isn’t able to go watch it, this would be the next best thing (and a fabulous thing at that).

P.S. If you have any questions about the play / performance / etc. please feel free to ask and I shall try to answer