Opening the seasonOpening the season
Opening the season

IN PICTURES: The Other Boleyn Girl in rehearsals at Chichester Festival Theatre

The Other Boleyn Girl, adapted for the stage by Mike Poulton from the novel by Philippa Gregory, opens the Chichester Festival Theatre season (Fri 19 Apr-Sat 11 May).

Henry VIII’s court is a stage for love and treachery, where the weapons of choice are sex, marriage, and the executioner’s axe. As Henry’s mistress, Mary Boleyn is a pawn in her family’s lust for power. Queen Katherine of Aragon hasn’t produced a male heir, and Mary’s ruthless uncle scents the chance of putting his niece on the throne. But Henry’s wandering eye has fallen on another: Mary’s headstrong sister, Anne, whose ambition not only threatens to destroy her bond with Mary and their brother George, but shakes the foundation of Church and State. Can Mary take charge of her own fate?

The cast includes Alex Kingston (Doctor Who, The Tempest RSC) as Lady Elizabeth, Freya Mavor (Industry, Skins) as Anne Boleyn, Lucy Phelps (Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare’s Globe, Measure for Measure RSC) as Mary Boleyn and Andrew Woodall (South Downs/The Browning Version, Fracked! CFT) as the Duke of Norfolk.