Six
Each wife of Henry Eighth addresses the audience in turn. The costumes are influenced by the contemporary pop industry fused with an echo of period details reminiscent of Tudor fashion. This can be seen when the wives create the Haus of Holbein. Each of them dons a stiff white ruff around their neck but trimmed with day-glo green and paired with day-glo green sunglasses.
Catherine of Aragon is played by Cassandra Lee. Her bouffant, tightly plaited black hair frames her dark olive-coloured face, with dark eyebrows and eyes. She wears a small spiked coronet, her tight fitting jacket has a square neckline, padded shoulders, tight black sleeves, and gold patterned sides which reveal her black leotard pants. Her legs are clad in fine black tights, and her boots are shiny silver.
Ann Boleyn, played by Maddison Bulleyment, has a tanned oval face, with high cheek bones, brown eyes, wide nose and small mouth. She wears her hair parted, with small bunches each side of her face, and long waves hanging down her back. Her tight fitting gold and black jacket has padded shoulders, with black sleeves, and her short gathered skirt sits out stiffly at the sides. Her black tights are worn with shiny silver glitter boots.
Jane Seymour, played by Caitlin Tipping, is tall and slim, with long blond hair, on which she wears a small spiky coronet. Her pale oval face has dark eyebrows, long nose, and cupid lips. Her long-sleeved , low neck top is black and gold, the sides and bust have vertical black and white stripes. Her stiff, wide, silvery black skirt reaches to her knees and her boots are shiny silver.
Anna of Cleeves, played by Shekinah McFarlane, has a very close cropped dyed pink Afro on top of which she wears a short-spiked gold crown. Under a puffed-sleeved black, red and gold diagonally striped tunic she wears red hot-pants and a red bustier. She removes her tunic to reveal gold brocade and chains criss-crossing her arms and body and draped around her shorts. Her high-heeled black ankle boots are adorned with studs and crystals.
Katherine Howard’s long, blonde pink-tipped hair is tied up in a high pony-tail secured with a studded leather ring. She wears a studded diamanté choker. Her cropped top is pink and black, satin and lace, with a sculpted bust and black nylon sleeves. Her panelled pink/black skirt, worn over high-waisted hot-pants, is a mixture of fabric, vinyl and foil with a metallic trim - the lattice work on which evokes a stained glass window. The skirt itself, although exceedingly short and swishy, references the Tudor period with the opening at the front evocative of a four part skirt layered over a contrasting underskirt, in this case layered over velvet hot-pants. The part of Katherine Howard is taken by Vicki Manser
Katherine Parr is played by Elena Gyasi. Her voluminous Afro hair is piled high and to the side, fixed with a large comb slide like a straight spiked crown. She wears large gold hooped earrings.
Katherine’s midnight blue tunic has short puffed sleeves and a fitted waist. There is a slash effect on the sleeves reminiscent of that seen on men’s doublets in the Tudor period. There are black and silver v-shaped panels to the front and back.Unlike the other queens, Katherine Parr wears tight fitting leggings. Black, blue and silver striped, they are embellished with sequins and crystals. Lacings up the sides are reminiscent of those on women’s dresses and corsets of the Renaissance period. Her pointed lace-up ankle boots are also embellished with sequins.
THE SET AND LIGHTING
The set and lights are like those in a pop concert or TV talent show. The lights are used variously to create the effect of stained glass windows, turrets or crosses. During the Haus of Holbein number a rectangular outline is created, evoking the idea of a dating app.
The stage is framed each side by curtains. When they part, there are five vertical blue lines of light at each side—A vertical row of rectangular lights are suspended on the furthest left and right , then two vertical rows of round lights, and then two narrow rows of blue. Suspended from above are long narrow rectangular lights which curve round above the back of the stage.
On the wooden stage floor are two large white circles, one inside the other, taking up the centre. Three stepped curved platforms are at the back of the stage. The band members stand on the top platform, either side of a throne- guitar and drums, played by Maria and Bessie, to the left., bass guitar and key board, played by Maggie and Joan, to the right. The lower tiers are used by the wives to stand or sit on. Four steps ascend the centre of the platforms.
Each wife of Henry Eighth addresses the audience in turn. The costumes are influenced by the contemporary pop industry fused with an echo of period details reminiscent of Tudor fashion. This can be seen when the wives create the Haus of Holbein. Each of them dons a stiff white ruff around their neck but trimmed with day-glo green and paired with day-glo green sunglasses.
Catherine of Aragon is played by Cassandra Lee. Her bouffant, tightly plaited black hair frames her dark olive-coloured face, with dark eyebrows and eyes. She wears a small spiked coronet, her tight fitting jacket has a square neckline, padded shoulders, tight black sleeves, and gold patterned sides which reveal her black leotard pants. Her legs are clad in fine black tights, and her boots are shiny silver.
Ann Boleyn, played by Maddison Bulleyment, has a tanned oval face, with high cheek bones, brown eyes, wide nose and small mouth. She wears her hair parted, with small bunches each side of her face, and long waves hanging down her back. Her tight fitting gold and black jacket has padded shoulders, with black sleeves, and her short gathered skirt sits out stiffly at the sides. Her black tights are worn with shiny silver glitter boots.
Jane Seymour, played by Caitlin Tipping, is tall and slim, with long blond hair, on which she wears a small spiky coronet. Her pale oval face has dark eyebrows, long nose, and cupid lips. Her long-sleeved , low neck top is black and gold, the sides and bust have vertical black and white stripes. Her stiff, wide, silvery black skirt reaches to her knees and her boots are shiny silver.
Anna of Cleeves, played by Shekinah McFarlane, has a very close cropped dyed pink Afro on top of which she wears a short-spiked gold crown. Under a puffed-sleeved black, red and gold diagonally striped tunic she wears red hot-pants and a red bustier. She removes her tunic to reveal gold brocade and chains criss-crossing her arms and body and draped around her shorts. Her high-heeled black ankle boots are adorned with studs and crystals.
Katherine Howard’s long, blonde pink-tipped hair is tied up in a high pony-tail secured with a studded leather ring. She wears a studded diamanté choker. Her cropped top is pink and black, satin and lace, with a sculpted bust and black nylon sleeves. Her panelled pink/black skirt, worn over high-waisted hot-pants, is a mixture of fabric, vinyl and foil with a metallic trim - the lattice work on which evokes a stained glass window. The skirt itself, although exceedingly short and swishy, references the Tudor period with the opening at the front evocative of a four part skirt layered over a contrasting underskirt, in this case layered over velvet hot-pants. The part of Katherine Howard is taken by Vicki Manser
Katherine Parr is played by Elena Gyasi. Her voluminous Afro hair is piled high and to the side, fixed with a large comb slide like a straight spiked crown. She wears large gold hooped earrings.
Katherine’s midnight blue tunic has short puffed sleeves and a fitted waist. There is a slash effect on the sleeves reminiscent of that seen on men’s doublets in the Tudor period. There are black and silver v-shaped panels to the front and back.Unlike the other queens, Katherine Parr wears tight fitting leggings. Black, blue and silver striped, they are embellished with sequins and crystals. Lacings up the sides are reminiscent of those on women’s dresses and corsets of the Renaissance period. Her pointed lace-up ankle boots are also embellished with sequins.
THE SET AND LIGHTING
The set and lights are like those in a pop concert or TV talent show. The lights are used variously to create the effect of stained glass windows, turrets or crosses. During the Haus of Holbein number a rectangular outline is created, evoking the idea of a dating app.
The stage is framed each side by curtains. When they part, there are five vertical blue lines of light at each side—A vertical row of rectangular lights are suspended on the furthest left and right , then two vertical rows of round lights, and then two narrow rows of blue. Suspended from above are long narrow rectangular lights which curve round above the back of the stage.
On the wooden stage floor are two large white circles, one inside the other, taking up the centre. Three stepped curved platforms are at the back of the stage. The band members stand on the top platform, either side of a throne- guitar and drums, played by Maria and Bessie, to the left., bass guitar and key board, played by Maggie and Joan, to the right. The lower tiers are used by the wives to stand or sit on. Four steps ascend the centre of the platforms.
