1536 (Kings don’t kill their wives, right?) at the Ambassadors Theatre

I think many theatre group members were reluctant to travel to the theatre in the West End in the middle of a blistering heatwave but we are a stoic bunch and were well rewarded for our efforts on this occasion. 

The Ambassadors Theatre is quite small and the intimate atmosphere ideally suits this play about three young women frequently meeting up in a field in rural Essex to discuss, amongst other things, news filtering down from London regarding the arrest, trial and eventual execution of Ann Boleyn. Jane, Anna and Mariella are very close friends in spite of being very different from each other. Jane is rather naive and modest, Anna is bold, independent and rumoured to have had sexual encounters with many men in the village, whilst Mariella is a world weary midwife. 

Two hours of powerful electrifying drama including the timeless issues of rape and domestic violence reveal that in 1536, no matter whether a female be a queen or lowly village woman, her life was controlled by and at the mercy of male entitlement. Circumstances have slowly improved since then but it’s worth noting that it wasn’t until 1991 that marital rape became a criminal offence! I know I wasn’t the only one to feel emotionally drained when the play ended. Absolutely brilliant!

 Contributed by Pat Ward (performance on 27th May 2026)