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Highborn and well-educated, Kate (Allison Spratt Pearce) is in love with courtier Thom Seymour (Steven Lone) when the king (Manny Fernandes) meets and takes a fancy to her \u2014 to the extent that he sends Thom to Holland, presumably to get him out of the way.<\/p>\n
It works, and Kate becomes queen in 1543. Henry VIII makes it clear that he wants his son Eddie to succeed him on the throne. Kate, more visionary than her husband, realizes that Henry\u2019s daughters Mary (in her 20s) and Bess (11) are not in the official line of succession, and begins to lobby to change that. Meanwhile, she is named teacher to both Eddie (Giovanni Cozic) and Bess (Kylie Acu\u00f1a). Mary (Cashae Monya) just sits around making wonderfully acerbic comments.<\/p>\n The play is a sort of political chess match between the rotund king (in constant pain because of a leg injury that practitioners of the time continued to bleed, rather than letting it heal) and the upstart queen, who has her own (often quite good) ideas about the monarchy. It\u2019s a delicate balance, of course, because Henry can have Kate executed at any time, for any (or no) reason.<\/p>\n But she persists (Kate would have loved the women\u2019s marches we just witnessed nationwide), and when Henry insists on going off to fight in France (to do his \u201cman thing\u201d), he accedes to her suggestion to name her regent, in case of his death. That will give her control of the royal purse and the power to protect Eddie, should that be necessary.<\/p>\n Henry makes it back from France, impressed that Kate and the girls managed to get ammunition shipped to the front without male leadership \u2014 and acknowledges that they helped win the war.<\/p>\n Henry likes a strong woman (or so he says), and Kate has certainly proven her value as a partner, but his jealousy hasn\u2019t abated: he asks her about Thom\u2019s visit before he joined the King on the battlefield (she insists it was only a political visit).<\/p>\n But Henry really gets ticked when she mentions something about \u201csharing responsibility and authority.\u201d His man thing kicks in and it seems this (or having the effrontery to name it so baldly) may be a place too far. It\u2019s a delicate spot for Kate, whose life is in the king\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to note that Hennig does not aim for historical accuracy here. She\u2019s telling a modern story in modern dress, using historical figures who faced some of the same questions of authority and the rights of women we face today.<\/p>\n Allison Spratt Pearce (well known in these parts for terrific portrayals in the musical comedy genre) proves she is just as good when she doesn\u2019t sing. It\u2019s safe to say her Kate will be appreciated by all the women in the audience for her strength, humor, intelligence and determination \u2014 and also by all the men with any brains.<\/p>\n As Henry, Fernandes turns in another fine performance. He isn\u2019t as portly as the original, but exhibits the same male assumptions of superiority still seen in many parts today. You have to giggle at this assertion about his philandering: \u201cI\u2019m capricious. That makes me a fascist, not a liberal.\u201d<\/p>\n Steven Lone turns in a fine performance as Thom, the man Kate wants to marry but sets aside in favor of the king, at least for a while (Henry died in 1547; Kate survived him, married Thom and died herself in 1548). Lone exhibits the charm, flirtatiousness and allure that Kate appreciated.<\/p>\n Cashae Monya is a hoot as Mary, Henry\u2019s elder daughter, in her 20s at the time of this play and weary of all the hoopla of the court. She\u2019s a wry, acerbic counterpoint to Kylie Acu\u00f1a\u2019s younger stepsister Bess (11 at this time), who is tired of being shunted off to school and appreciates that Kate has brought her home. Acu\u00f1a occasionally talks too fast, but she\u2019s charming and likable.<\/p>\n Giovanni Cozic is cute as a button as king-to-be Eddie. Director Rob Lutfy and scenic designer Sean Fanning overcome the somewhat episodic nature of the script \u2014 with many short scenes \u2014 with a simple but versatile set design that flows with the action and makes it work, aided greatly by Chris Rynne\u2019s excellent lighting effects. Kevin Anthenill\u2019s sound effects are equally effective.<\/p>\n Veronica Murphy\u2019s costumes are excellent. Kate\u2019s dresses are especially opulent and lovely.<\/p>\n Call it feminist revisionist history or just a good story, \u201cThe Last Wife\u201d definitely offers a good night at the theater.<\/p>\n![\"\u2018The](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Cashae-Monya-Allison-Spratt-Pearce-Kylie-Acun?a.-Photo-by-Daren-Scott.jpg\")
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