Til Death: The Six Wives of Henry VIII

Monster Theatre—PTE – Colin Jackson Studio

This is the third year (after 2012 and 2013) that this show has been presented at the Winnipeg Fringe. It is easy to be skeptical of one-person shows that feature a large number of characters, but this show won me over by the time it ended. Tara Travis, dressed in a simple white ankle-length dress that she never adds to or changes, introduces each of the wives as they pass into the afterlife, usually after some horrible death. It is a testament to Travis’ acting skill that she can keep them all distinct, from the noble Catherine of Aragon to the ditzy Catherine Howard. Travis moves constantly about as she keeps a heated discussion going amongst an expanding group of people. It is the different physical poses that she employs for each of the characters that does the most to keep them all clear.

Once all six wives are together, they need to figure out who will be Henry’s consort in the royal, as opposed to the normal, heaven. This plays like a Survivor of the 1500s, with each woman trying to justify her place over the others. Later on, Henry himself appears, and Travis portrays him like an arrogant and corpulent fellow. The real twist, which makes this comedy satisfying even as political commentary, occurs when the women start to think about what they really want in the afterlife, that they did not originally have in life, and they start to do something about it.

Konrad Antony