The Last Wife
Alberta Theatre Projects kicks off season with political thriller
- Location: Martha Cohen Theatre, Arts Commons 215 8th Ave. SE
- Price: $26 - $75
Power and persuasion are the name of the game as Alberta Theatre Projects launches its new season. Steamy yet thought-provoking, The Last Wife looks at King Henry VIII’s marriage to Katherine Parr.
Written by former Calgarian Kate Hennig, this political thriller is a modern retelling of King Henry VIII’s tumultuous marriage to his last wife. Set against a contemporary backdrop, the show enjoyed a sold-out run at Ontario’s Stratford Festival in 2015 and is the first in Hennig’s Queenmaker Trilogy, chronicling the Tudor Queens.
“The Last Wife, with its potent sexual politics, is a story of a woman dealing with a charismatic husband who rules with his volatile emotions. This dynamic makes Hennig’s historically-based play absolutely relevant to the world of today’s power politics,” says director Glynis Leyshon in a statement. “But on a more human level it is also a tense and tightly written exploration of a woman’s struggle for intellectual independence. Witty and fearless, it is both powerful and hugely engaging to watch.”
The Last Wife runs from September 12 to 30, 2017 at the Martha Cohen Theatre, Arts Commons (215 8th Ave. SE). The play contains sexuality, partial nudity, violence, and coarse language and is suggested for audiences over the age of 16.
