Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

The last days of Anne Boleyn

 

Miranda Kiek
Thursday 23 May 2013 15:44 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The room is dominated by a four-poster bed. Its velvet covering glows richly red under the light. In a few moments a young man will be interrupted by his sister, 19-year-old Anne Boleyn.

I am watching a play that, in a gruesome twist on site-specific drama, is performed in the Tower of London – the site of her execution. The short two-hander, written and directed by Joanne Carrick, tells the story of Boleyn's doomed dalliance with royal and religious power via a series of conversations with her beloved brother George.

Does Carrick worry she might be reducing a real-life tragedy to a part of the Tower of London heritage experience? "For me," counters Carrick, "it's about creating something that just feels real – then people can empathise..." And they do. The audience was visibly moved on emerging from the auditorium directly onto Tower Green, where the actual execution took place.

Fallen in Love: The Secret Heart of Anne Boleyn' Tower of London, London EC3 (hrp.org.uk/tower oflondon) to 16 June (redrosechain.com)

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in