The world premiere production will run at Hever Castle from the 2nd to the 30th August.
Full casting has now been announced for this world premiere of the musical, performing at Anne Boleyn’s childhood home.
Directed by Roxana Silbert, with book by Rebecca Night, and choreography by Alistair David, the production will be performed in a specially constructed 1,800 seat outdoor auditorium in the grounds of Hever Castle. A press night will take place on the 6th August.
Emily Lane ( Hello Dolly at the Palladium, Frozen at Theatre Royal Drury Lane) will play ‘Anne Boleyn’, with Mark Goldthorp (recently seen as A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic), as ‘Henry VIII’; Dona Atallah (Hawn, Broken Wings) as ‘Mary / Elizabeth I / Messenger’; Noah Sinigaglia (whose recent theatre credits include Mamma Mia! The Party and Broken Wings) as ‘Queen Katherine / Margaret’; Kim Ismay (whose extensive West End musical theatre credits include Mamma Mia! Sunset Boulevard, Wicked and Elf) as ‘Joan’; Joshua Oakes-Rogers (Cinderella & the Glass Slipper, Madagascar the Musical) as ‘George Boleyn’; Matt Bond (Jerry Springer: The Opera, Jekyll & Hyde) as ‘Thomas Cromwell’; Clive Hayward (A Christmas Carol, Anything Goes) as ‘Thomas Boleyn’; Chomba S.Taulo (Pretty Woman, Book of Mormon) as ‘Matthew Parker’; and Rebecca Luter (Grease and 54 Below) and Jay Worley (Blood Brothers, Jersey Boys) complete the cast as swings.
Meanwhile, 12 year old Annabelle Jones and 13 year old Betsy Godden will share the role of ‘Young Anne’, and 11 year old Arthur Moffat and 14 year old Dawson Richards will share the role of ‘Young George Boleyn.
In addition they will be joined by a 35-strong community cast from Kent who will act, dance and sing in the production.
Produced by Historalia Productions, each audience member will have their own headset, through which they will be intimately connected to the action on stage, thanks to the stunning binaural sound design by The Ringham Brothers (Blindness at The Donmar, Anna at the National Theatre). The score – with lyrics by Rebecca Night & Sam Kenyon – will have original music composed by Sam Gevers and recorded by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.
Anne says farewell to her family and embarks on a life-changing journey to the royal courts of Flanders and France. Though her goodbyes are difficult, Anne’s adventure will shape not only her future but the future of England itself…
Anne Boleyn the Musical explores the transformation from a young girl leaving England, into a young woman who returns to Hever Castle, destined to attract a King. The rise and fall of their relationship forever altered the course of history.
Celebrated as one of history’s most intriguing and influential women, Anne’s true nature, her ambitions, and her generosity will finally be revealed—within the very walls where her mind was shaped and her legacy forged.
Talking about the production, director Roxana Silbert said: ” I am absolutely thrilled to be directing this epic show in the stunning surroundings of Hever Castle. Anne Boleyn has so often been portrayed as just a manipulative flirt. Rebecca has thrown new light on this brilliant, headstrong, charismatic woman who brought very radical and progressive ideas with her from Europe, drove social change, and ultimately laid the way for her daughter Elizabeth to become Queen.This is a thriller about women in power and an unexpected love story that led a woman to change the course of a nation’s history.”
To book tickets visit: https://www.hevercastle.co.uk/whats-on/anne-boleyn-the-musical/