1536
Ambassadors Theatre
On Wednesday 13th May, I was delighted to be among the audience of the newly opened “1536”, written by rising star Ava Pickett. The theatre was brimming with a relatively older crowd which I admit, took me by surprise. Granted, there’s no denying pensioners love a history programme, but with Sex Education star Tanya Reynolds in the core cast, and Margot Robbie singing the show’s praises on very overcirculated Instagram reels, I would have guessed the average viewing age of the press night to be younger. It will be interesting to see if ticket sales tell a different story as social media coverage builds.
** Spoilers Hereon **
1536 opens with a rather raunchy scene that strongly sets the tone, and has you recalibrating with a “ah, not a prissy historical drama then”. From there, the individual characters are introduced and deftly moulded with a humanising clay.
The cast, while small – is mighty. Liv Hill gave Jane a highly endearing quality, warming the audience up the fastest with her innocence and eagerness to please.Tanya Reynolds builds duty and desire into Mariella, a diplomatic peace-maker with a weakness for self-indulgence. Siena Kelly as Anna captures attention forcefully, with wit and intrigue in abundance, and a side serving of arrogance. 1536 to me was Anna’s story. Although with her story arc entwined with Jane’s and Mariella’s as tightly as a heavily boned corset (or “body” to be accurate), you simply cannot extract Anna as the “main character” per say.
Oliver Johnstone as Richard, and George Kemp as William, both gave remarkable performances. Every slimy remark, every glowering taunt, every instance of overpowerment – both vocally, and physically – was instrumental in the slow build of the underlying horror of 1536. With fight or flight triggered by what became almost every appearance of Richard and William, I found myself having to forcibly relax myself between scenes.
In that vein, 1536 affected me more than I thought it would. When the lights fell after almost two hours of incredible storytelling, I was honestly grateful for the prolonged blackness. It seems I had been holding my breath for the entire last act, so ahead of the loud applause and bright-lights bows, I squeezed my eyes shut in the dark to reset.
I don’t know if it’s growing older, and being more involved in political conversations, but in 2026 the world seems more backwards and twisted than ever, where even equality, inclusion and diversity can be divisive words to say among bad company. “Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere” is just one example of a programme that has taken steps to highlight the increasing anti-feminist sentiment, and shine a light on the dark spaces of our online world where people learn to fear, and blame, and create divides. Trends such as #tradwives, looksmaxxing, and labels such as incels, do nothing to build bridges, and everything to assign value to the wrong metrics. Large YouTube accounts, churning out content to the effect of “1 feminist vs 20 anti-feminist”, profit off of division and hatred, and so have no incentive to stop anytime soon. You only need to read the comment sections of these videos once before you find yourself convinced the world is on a fast track to the Handmaid’s Tale. With 1536, you wish to scoop up Anna, Jane and Mariella and magically transport them to a better time, and while 2026 may give them a wider range of suitors on Hinge, safety and equality among male company would still not be a guarantee for them.
The plot is nail-biting (I did), breath-taking (it was) and in parts beyond agonising to witness. Girlhood and comradery are strong themes in this play. You find yourself identifying with at least one, if not all of the girls, and find their close friendships mirror some of those in your own life. This makes it all the more painful, when the stakes are high and alliances change for the better chance of survival. You want to intervene, to shout, to cry with them; the distance vanishes between the auditorium seat and the field of 1536.
Speaking of the field – while limited in size, Max Jones, Set and Costume Designer, masterfully sets the scene. The stage features an open clearing, surrounded by tall grassland and weeds. The yellowing dryness of the foliage was akin to a savannah, as if the camouflage for predators stalking prey. This added to the building dread in later scenes, where being “caught” became a sickening prospect. Similarly, a looming aged and broken tree, could be symbolic of a life lived and then cut down – Anne Boleyn, perhaps. It was fruitless after all. Lighting Designer Jack Knowles, built the intensity of the setting through a feeling of sweltering heat that rolled out into the auditorium. As the characters glugged water and wine, I wondered if thirst was another strong theme – thirst for attention, love, or a better path forward. Between this dry desperation, and the grassland threatening death – the stories of concealment and desperate survival became very real.
Intimacy Director, Anna Morrissey, and Fight Director Sam Lyon-Behan created moments of immense tension and believable longing. Every action felt purposeful, and each character’s actions justified. I was personally grateful for the absence of sexual violence on-stage, as the underlying threat of this was certainly enough to raise stakes.
I wholly believe that 1536 will take London by storm, whipping up a great deal of passion in younger audiences – millennials and Gen Z – who feel strongly about these historical yet contemporary issues. I am delighted so many production companies took early interest in this story, and nurtured its growth. 1536, like its writer Ava Pickett, are without a doubt ones to watch as they go from strength to strength. Continue being an example for the rest of us, and tell the stories that need to be told.
PS. The LED frame could do with being 10% brighter for a more disguised scene change.
Reviewer: Charlie O’Neill
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️