A fresh, witty, moving and beautifully performed production that transforms Tudor history into something vibrant and modern.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What’s it about?
Set in Tudor England during the fallout of Anne Boleyn’s execution, 1536 follows three women navigating friendship, survival and power in a world shaped by fear, patriarchy and suspicion. While rooted in history, the play speaks in a strikingly modern voice — making the themes feel immediate, accessible and relevant.
What we loved best
First and foremost, the writing is beautiful. It is easy to see why Ava Pickett won the Critics’ Circle Theatre Award and the Evening Standard Theatre Award for most promising playwright.
This is a delightful, playful and powerful piece of theatre – everything in perfect balance. The dialogue crackles with wit and humour, but never at the expense of emotional depth. Speaking in contemporary language proves to be a masterstroke, making the relationships and tensions immediately relatable and amusing.
At the centre of the play is the wonderful relationship between the three friends. The trio’s chemistry feels authentic and touching, and there is a genuine emotional investment in their journeys. Liv Hill (Jane), Siena Kelly (Anna) and Tanya Reynolds (Mariella), all reprising their previous roles from the original Almeida production are expertly cast with each actor perfectly matched to their character.
The performances are uniformly strong, with a standout turn from Siena Kelly who manages to squeeze every laugh out of the piece coupled with bringing a vulnerability, warmth and deeply endearing quality to Anna.
Visually, the production is stunning. The static set with natural landscape continually transforms using lighting and colour, radically shifting the mood and atmosphere from scene to scene. The large tree works well adding both structure and symbolism.
Excellent sound design heightens tension and jolts the audience into each new scene as the stakes continue to rise.
The Ambassadors Theatre is the perfect home for this piece, with its intimate setting giving the production even greater impact.
Anything we’d change?
There is very little that could be improved — an impressive production on all fronts that thoroughly deserves its West End transfer.
Who would enjoy this?
1536 would be enjoyed by all theatregoers as an excellent piece of theatre. For visitors to London, it’s also a fantastic opportunity to experience a distinctly British story rooted in Tudor history, but told in a fresh, modern and highly accessible way.
Who created it?
Written by Ava Pickett
Director: Lyndsey Turner
Set and Costume Designer: Max Jones
Lighting Designer: Jack Knowles
Sound Designer: Tingying Dong
Verdict
A wonderful production anchored by beautiful writing and exceptional performances. Don’t miss it!