1536 at Ambassadors Theatre

After a sold-out run, 1536, a play with everything going for it, is back on stage.

It’s 500 years ago, and news reaches Essex that Queen Anne Boleyn has been arrested for treason. Meanwhile, friends Anna, Mariella and Jane meet in a field to talk and hang out. Jane is to be wed in an arranged marriage with a local man whom Anna has been secretly sleeping with. Furthermore, Mariella must do her job as a midwife for the wife of the man she loves.

These complicated interwoven relationships are the kindling for the tragedy that is about to befall these women. The spark is the king demonstrating that men need not take responsibility and may simply blame and punish women.

It’s dark, it’s devastating, and it’s somehow utterly hilarious. Ava Pickett’s writing is razor sharp with the most delicious quips transcending into shock and horror.

The trio of Siena Kelly, Liv Hill and Tanya Reynolds is one of those casts that feels truly special to get to see. Each one gives a jaw-dropping performance, and the chemistry between the three is electric.

If that wasn’t enough, the team behind 1536 has gone all out on the lighting and set design, too. The whole stage is transformed into a field with tall, dry grass growing everywhere and an old tree in the middle.

1536 is powerful. It hurts as much as it entertains. It’s a show people will still be talking about long after they see it.

Let it always be said that theatres are not built like cinemas, and nearly two hours without an interval in thin seats and no leg room is a foolish way to kill a good show. And yet, for 1536, not a soul will stir for the entire proceeding. The writing and the performing are so on point that it is impossible to look away.