So they’re doing a production of Henry VIII without rehearsing it. What’s the worst that could happen? Sure it’s got more stage directions than any other play by Shakespeare, but it only caused the Globe Theatre to burn down once. (Really we don’t know for certain that it caused the theatre to burn down. It just happened to be going on onstage when the theatre burned to the ground in 1613.) And anyway that was hundreds of years ago. The history has been performed countless times since then and it hasn’t built-up any kind of bade reputation the way Macbeth has, right?
In any case, the play gets the unrehearsed treatment this month as Shakespeare Raw presents Henry VIII at The Best Place Tavern. The premise is simple: actors arrive at the tavern and pick names of characters at random. They then have a few minutes to prepare for the performance. The show runs May 9 - 11 at the Best Place on 901 W. Juneau Ave. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.