What a joy it is to be able to be part of the audience seeing a Broadway show again! Before the lights go up, before the music starts, before the cast appears, people are already filled with excitement. The enthusiasm doesn’t ebb until well after the show is overa— especially since the performers invite us to stand up, clap, and join in the fun.
While it’s not necessary to review the history of Henry VIII and his wives, I recommend giving it a try. The Queens all tell their story in song, but the lyrics go by too fast to really be understandable. There are also little fun cookies thrown in for those in the know. For example, “Greensleeves” is played in snippets. Supposedly, Henry wrote this for Anne Boleyn.
You don’t need any additional info to know that all the Queens are sassy, salty, wildly energetic, and great fun. The costumes are a knockout; definitely not appropriate to the Tudor age, but very sexy and flashy to the extreme. While the outfits are basically black, Catherine of Aragon is in gold, Anne Boleyn is in green (for “Greensleeves,” presumably) Anna of Cleeves is in red, and Catherine Paar is in blue. The idea of the show is that all of Henry’s wives are together in a contest to appeal to the audience to determine who had it the worst. (Answer: They all did. Henry was a king, but no prince.)
While all the performers are magnificent, my favorites were Adriana Hicks as Catherine of Aragon, and Brittney Mack as Anna of Cleves. Hicks has an innate elegance, as befits the first and true Queen, and Mack is particularly naughty and exuberant. The energy level of one and all is through the roof, the singing and dancing are perfection, and it’s hard to imagine a more brilliant ensemble. If this is how the season begins, we’re all in for a great year.
