Mare should run and run

Keith Allen has long been a trouper of the old school, so it's no wonder he excels as Henry VIII. This astute, bawdy comedy from Zoe Lewis opens with a rock guitar intro, a mirrorball's reflections lighting up the stage, and takes the womanising king through two hilarious marriages and a master painter. There's barely a moment that doesn't crackle with superb dialogue.

At the death of Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves (the 'Flanders Mare' of the title) applies for the vacant position as Henry's wife: 'I can't see that there'll be a queue around the block.' Henry's Lord Chancellor dispatches Hans Holbein to paint her so that the king might be persuaded to take her as his wife. But when Anne (Pandora Colin) arrives at court for the marriage, she looks less beautiful than her portrait.

Henry is incandescent: 'Do you want to have sex?' he asks, before adding hopefully: 'You don't look the sort.' Jokes about seeing 'the crown jewels' set the tone - Henry's wearing nothing beneath his purple dressing gown - but director Alan Cox is aware of the play's religious and social undercurrents, too.

Cromwell proposes calling Henry's style 'new kingship' and the monarch talks of making the people 'love the idea of me' via Holbein's images. In step with the times in both its humour and its scheming politics, Flanders Mare deserves to run and run.

Until Nov 5, Sound Theatre, 10 Wardour Street W1, Tue to Sat 7.30 pm, Thu and Sat mats 4pm, £10 to £15. Tel: 0870 890 0503. www.kitproductions.com Tube: Leicester Square

Flanders Mare