By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHEN?: Monday 4 May, opens 12 May and runs through 1 August 2026 RUNTIME: 110 minutes (no interval)

You join us in an Essex woodland meeting place in the titular 1536 where 3 young women meet regularly to discuss the news from London about the fall of Queen Anne Boleyn alongside local gossip.

• Read on for reasons including how 1536 flags its author as 1 of this country’s most exciting new writers

Written by Ava Pickett, the 1st thing you’ll notice is how sweary these women are but also how their preoccupations about men and love rivals are timeless with the conceit that the language is very much modern day.

Margot Robbie’s (film Barbie) production company LuckyChap joins as producers for this transfer from the Almeida Theatre for a new play which returns with its original female leads and was nominated for 2 Oliviers for Best New Play and director this year which it didn’t win.

1536 opens with Siena Kelly’s Anna having sex with suitor Richard, played by Oliver Johnstone (Romans, a novel, Almeida Theatre), against a tree in the woodland clearing and we soon learn she’s rather in love with herself.

Liv Hill’s naive daddy’s girl Jane arrives after the tryst with news including how Anne Boleyn has been arrested after falling out with Henry VIII over her alleged adultery.

Soon they are joined by Tanya Reynolds’ (The Seagull, Barbican Theatre) midwife Mariella who is heartbroken by looking after the pregnancy of the wife of the man she loves.

It’s always a thrill to be part of an audience which is enjoying a new play in particular so much that there are audible gasps when shocking elements of the plot reveal themselves.

As an audience we’re privy to information about Anna’s love life that is not immediately apparent to best friends Jane and Mariella and it’s always obvious how much jeopardy this places our heroines in.

Reynolds is 1 of our favourite actresses and was just beaten by Erin Docherty to our Best Supporting Actress monsta last year and is about to be in the new series of Ted Lasso dropping on Apple in August.

The bond between the trio of young women at the heart of this story is strong which makes what happens to them all the more shocking.

1536 makes clear how difficult it was to be a woman but also how little has changed and it rightly flags author Ava Pickett as 1 of this country’s most exciting new writers.

• Main pictures via Facebook courtesy ATG Tickets
• Have you seen an Ambassadors Theatre show before and what did you think of this 1? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
• Enjoyed this preview? Follow monstagigz on Twitter @NeilDurham, email neildurham3@gmail.com and check us out on Instagram and Facebook