The Six Wives of Henry VIII

Howard and Stu’s last production of Richard II was critically mauled in the local press and the duo don’t know how to move on from this. Then Stu stumbles upon a book about Henry VIII and decides that Howard is the Tudor monarch’s doppelgänger. They decide to put on a play about Henry, with Stu playing all the other characters from Thomas Cranmer to Katherine Parr.

This bit of silliness from West Country-based performers Living Spit affectionately burlesques Tudor history. Howard Coggins ramps things up as he sinks his teeth into what he considers to be the role of a lifetime, while Stu McLoughlin is far more laid back playing all the other roles.

Some of the humour is petty middle-of-the-road. DJ Cranmer gives us a rundown of the top 10 commandments in his audition for Britain’s Got (Clerical) Talent. Henry selects wife number four via a game of Blind Date. Imagine your dad telling jokes while on a day-trip to Hampton Court and you’re pretty close to the level of comedy on display here.

That said, there are a few moments of genuine sympathy that contrast nicely with the rest of the material and the pair use Henry’s relationship with his six wives as a metaphor for their own working relationship.

The songs may not be in the same category as worldwide sensation Six but they are catchy and have a fantastic range, a high point being the 1980s Bauhaus pastiche that marks Anne of Cleves’ time as queen consort.