The Famous History of the Life of King Henry VIII. (in german) (Programme 2009)

translation: Werner Buhss
directed by: Jakob Fedler, Markus Weckesser
stage design: Hannah Hamburger

with: Sebastian Bischoff, Andreas Erfurth,
Norbert Kentrup, Jan Maak,
Urs Stämpfli

2hrs 45 minutes, including the interval

price category: A

Introduction 45 minutes before curtain-up

The London Globe premiere of “King Henry VIII“, a play written by Shakespeare in co-operation with John Fletcher, was a uniquely spectacular affair. 395 years ago , on 29th June 1613, cannon fire in the first act set fire to the thatched roof and the theatre burned to the ground. We hope we have better luck when SHAKESPEARE AND PARTNERS bring the play to our theatre for the first time.
Contrary to all expectation, the play is about no more than two wives, and tells of the time of Katherine of Aragon and Henry's next queen, Anne Bullen. Although the other four wives don't appear in this play, there is an abundance of statesmen, councillors, cardinals and intrigue, as each tries to secure their own place in the sun, with England's own sun king impressively portrayed by Norbert Kentrup as Henry VIII. The play ends with the baptism of the future Queen Elisabeth I, an elaborate posthumous hommage to Shakespeare's queen, who had died in 1603. A special thanks to the company for the courage they have shown in staging the play, last seen in Bochum in 1927, directed by Saladin Schmitt.

www.shakespeareundpartner.de