“Henry VIII” is Shakespeare’s last history play, an imposing work about a king who survives without a clash of swords. The Folger Theatre is giving “Henry VIII” the energized, polished production it deserves, playing down its inherent spectacle and emphasizing the personal drama of a king caught up in endless political and private intrigue.
The play begins at that period when Henry had been married to Katherine of Aragon for more than 20 years. He is all-powerful and surrounded by councilors who profess to have his best interests at heart but who often are dedicated to their own personal gain.
Henry (Ian Merrill Peakes) is a forceful, youthful leader. Although he does not have the girth we associate with Henry VIII, Peakes has all the swagger, determination and assertiveness required to make him a credible Henry.
Naomi Jacobson is commanding as Queen Katherine, in many ways the most fully realized role in the play. Early on, Henry attends a gala banquet and masque at Cardinal Wolsey’s residence, where he meets one of Katherine’s ladies-in-waiting, young Anne Boleyn. Henry is smitten, and although he makes his love for Katherine felt, he begins to arrange a divorce.
One of the most moving speeches in the play is Katherine’s self-defense, in which she refuses to accept the divorce. Jacobson delivers the speech with fire and conviction but to no avail. Katherine is made princess dowager, and Henry marries Anne Boleyn. The role of Anne is not detailed; Karen Peakes plays her well as an ethereal presence.
Braided into this personal drama is another public story of survival. As in all Shakespeare’s histories, the issue of who is in and out of favor with the ruler is a prime issue, and the Folger production makes the palace intrigue unambiguously clear.
In Act I, Scene 1, the Duke of Buckingham (Stephen Patrick Martin) no sooner voices his mistrust of the scheming Cardinal Wolsey than he is arrested for high treason. Wolsey (Anthony Cochrane) is Henry’s major antagonist. Cochrane plays him aptly as an oily, smooth-talking flatterer and liar.
The noblemen are portrayed well by Nathan Bennett, Michael Glenn, Lawrence Redmond and Todd Scofield.
The main action of this “Henry VIII” takes place on Tony Cisek’s set, a series of dark vertical lattice-work screens. Above the stage is a circular balcony, which offers a playing area.
Director Robert Richmond allows the action to spill off the set and into the central aisle and both sides of the theater’s balconies. In addition to bringing the action to the audience, Richmond adds a character to serve as a bridge to the 16th century.
Louis Butelli plays Will Sommers, who was Henry VIII’s court jester from 1525 until 1547. Butelli first appears in the guise of a puppeteer, foreshadowing the action with a Punch and Judy show. He later plays a variety of roles, everything from Cromwell to an old lady, gently — and humorously — interrupting and commenting on the drama.
William Ivey Long’s costumes are quite simply gorgeous. They capture the era of Henry VIII in thick brocades, fur, jewels and leather as richly as Shakespeare did in his poetry. Klyph Stanford’s lighting design emphasizes the darkness of Cisek’s set, at times piercing the misty gloom with five small spotlights.
“Henry VIII” is not often performed, in part because of a superstition associated with its premiere. A cannon was fired to announce the king’s entrance in Act I, and the Globe Theatre caught fire and burned to the ground. Another reason to be grateful to Richmond et al. for this excellent, neatly focused production.
