Henry VIII, but not Shakespeare

Cafe Society
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Google is no help here, or I’m using it wrong. I’m looking for a play about Henry VIII, but not written by the Bard. It was penned, I think, in the mid-20th Century, and traces the life of the murderous king from his first wife to the last. One difference between this play and the Shakespeare version is that as Henry’s life progresses, he also progresses from the 16th Century to the 20th, and at the end he is talking about rocket ships and going to the moon.

I have no idea who the playwright was.

Can anyone help me find this play?

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Moved from General Questions to Cafe Society.

samclem, moderator

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A Man For All Seasons?

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I don’t think so, unless my memory is faulty. I recall it having only one primary male role (Henry) and female roles for each of his wives. It was performed at a St. Louis little theatre ca. 1966. I understand most of the theatre archives were destroyed by fire, so the existing company is not able to help.

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That’s not Man for All Seasons.

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Some possibilities (found in library catalogues):

Cowan, Maurice. The six wives of Henry VIII : the king seen through the eyes of each of his ill-fated wives.

Gressieker, Hermann. Royal gambit : a drama in five acts.

Rowley, Samuel. When you see me you know me, or, The famous chronicle history of King Henrie the Eight [first published in 1621]

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Royal Gambit has thetime-progression element, although it’s the wives who progress, not the king:

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Here’s a preview of Gressieker’s play on Google Books, but it looks as though the English translation wasn’t done till the 80’s or thereabouts.

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I think Royal Gambit is the one, so I’ll research that. I dispute the Spokane Valley blurb, as I distinctly recall the king talking about rockets at the end in a soliloquy to the audience.

In case anyone wonders, my interest revolves around my involvement in a production of this work. I was responsible for the sound and music, and I used the suggested progression of time as a gimmick. As the play unfolded, I also progressed the music from Gregorian chants, Palestrina, thru baroque, then romantic classical, and at the end, for exit music, I used a synthesizer piece, Peace Three, pretty much the most modern (non-pop) tune available at the time. I still have the music collection on an open-reel tape as used in the play.

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I found a copy of Royal Gambit for sale cheap, and I’ve ordered it. I am curious why my recollection differs from the blurbs about Henry’s progression thru time, or lack of it. Until I see the play dialogue, I’m guessing that the end soliloquy is distinct from the acts leading up to it, and he makes a jump into modern times when breaking the 4th wall.

Thanks to everyone who helped in this search. SDMB rocks!

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Sometimes plays are rewritten by the playwright or adapted for a particular performance locale.

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IIRC, When You See Me You Know Me starts just before Jane Seymour gives birth to the future Edward VI, so it doesn’t include all six wives. (Also, I’m pretty sure there are no rocket ships or voyages to the moon, although Jacobean drama being what it is, it’s not entirely inconceivable :D)