The Lace Market Theatre’s next production is Anne Boleyn, a “bawdy and provocative romp” about possibly the most divisive woman in British history. The play’s director, Gordon Parsons, explains how a woman being beheaded can be funny...

Why Anne Boleyn?

She is one of history's most formidable and influential women. And perhaps she wasn't the harlot that a biased history has portrayed her. Her seven-year courtship of Henry VIII was not about sex but about her desire to change England for the better. Howard Brenton, the author, is a self-confessed "fully paid-up member of the fast-growing Anne Boleyn cult". She is, claims Brenton, the reason England became Protestant. The play is about a woman dealing with the male political scheming that was all around her in the figures of Thomas Cromwell and Cardinal Wolsey.

It is a comedy but how can the story about a woman who was beheaded be funny?

There's a thin line between comedy and tragedy. Some things are simply so awful that the only way of coping with them is through humour. Many of the events of the Tudor period were truly horrific and the alternative to tears is laughter. The rom-com situation of Anne and Henry's courting is the very stuff of today's comedy. A lot of the humour comes from James I – the wisest fool in Christendom – whose erratic and unpredictable behaviour made a mockery of the stiff pretentiousness of the Church and the politicians. The play satirises politics in much the same vein as Yes, Minister.

What about your production would make people want to come to see it?

Besides it being funny, it has a large cast of 23, including two musicians, so you are treated to a live concert before, after and during the show. Then there are the wonderful authentic costumes, plus 28 fast-moving scenes. It is about the Tudors – isn't everyone fascinated by them?

What have been the major challenges?

It has been challenging coping with a large cast and getting the 28 scenes to gel so that we can maintain visual interest throughout. Then, add the live music, dancing and complicated costume changes. Consistency of performance has been our particular objective. I like to think we have succeeded.

Why did you want to direct this play in particular?

I love history, politics and any play that demands "total theatre". I love filling an empty stage with people, colourful costumes and action. I enjoy the sheer variety of the play and the need for so many acting, dancing and musical skills, all coming together in an entertaining and, perhaps, informative experience for an audience.

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