Last year, Stolen Shakespeare Guild paired Shakespeare’s Henry VIII with an adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, about Thomas Cromwell’s machinations in the court of the English king. This year, SSG follows that up with a pairing of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and an adaptation of Mantel’s Bring Up the Bodies, the sequel to Wolf Hall.
Where Wolf Hall dealt with Cromwell’s successful ploy to marry the king to Anne Boleyn, Bring Up the Bodies is all about Cromwell undoing the marriage after Anne fails to produce a male heir. His quest to do the king’s bidding is intertwined with his desire to personally avenge his mentor Cardinal Wolsey, as a number of Anne’s allies helped bring down the cardinal. Mantel’s two books are part of a planned trilogy, with the final installment The Mirror and the Light set to be published next month. By this time next year, Stolen Shakespeare Guild may be ready to complete its run of Cromwells.
Bring Up the Bodies runs Fri thru Mar 1 at Fort Worth Community Arts Center, 1300 Gendy St, FW. Tickets are $16-24. Call 866-811-4111.
