I haven't seen the RSC's productions of the first two parts of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy,but I have read all three books, and watched Mark Rylance in the BBC series, so was interested in seeing this production, which is an adaptation of the final book, The Mirror and The Light, which covers the period from the execution of Anne Boleyn to the execution of Thomas Cromwell.
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| Henry VIII and Crowell (Production Image) |
I enjoyed it - the set is pretty stark but the costumes are sumptuous - full on period styles, with Henry VIII in particular looking magnificent. And given that we start with Cromwell's arrest, and if course we all know how this is going to end, but despite this, the play manages to instil a surprising amount of tension into the events. .
And despite the outcome, (spoiler- things don't end well for Thomas Cromwell) there are many entertaining moments as well.
Sadly the extension to the run has bee cancelled so it is ending at the end of this month, but well worth seeing if you get the opportunity - it did make me wish I'd seen the first two, and also to hope that the BBC makes a the last part of the trilogy with Mark Rylance!
