KJARTAN Psokitt’s irreverent Tudor musical provided the perfect vehicle to showcase the burgeoning talents of the Georgian’s lively youth theatre.

Part musical with a sprinkling of pantomime, its eclectic score included blues, rap and rock‘n’roll. The infamous tale of the power crazed Henry VIII was carried along by frequent news flashes. Narrating the action from 1509 to 1547 were two sombre newsreaders and a roving correspondent, Lady Adie, who conducted on-stage interviews with courtiers and commoners.

As Henry’s obsession with fathering a son changed the course of history, Adam Craddock played the regal role with energy. Four perfect stooges supported him in his endeavours, Wolsey, More, Cromwell and Cranmer. The rap song welcoming Thomas More to the stage was a highlight of the first act.

Grant Dalton played Cardinal Wolsey with panache, beginning the pernicious cycle of excommunication, reformation and beheadings. Sophie Montgomery stood out from the ladies in waiting and Anna Rutterford was picture perfect as Catherine of Aragon despite a suspiciously Russian accent.

Richly fashioned Tudor costumes complete with pearls, brocade, velvet and satin did much to create a professional impression and large choruses accompanying the musical numbers made good use of the stage.

While the pace was brisk, slower enunciation across the board would have diminished the impression that the performers were dashing through their lines as a matter of life and death.

Comic moments such as the arrival of Anne of Cleeves wearing a bag on her head, plenty of hissing and booing and communal spitting at the mention of France created multiple opportunities for the cast to take real pleasure in this performance, and it showed. During the finale reprise of “Body’s gonna rock... heads are gonna roll” the family audience clapped along amid a sea of contagious smiles.

Christina McIntyre