Maggie Smith and the White Falcon – Tracey Boreman

Returning favourite Tracey Boreman took Lichfield Festival on a trip through everything Anne Boleyn, from Maggie Smith to the White Falcon. Emelia caught her visit to write for Young Critics. 

Through Tracy Borman’s take on a household erased from history, we learn how the Boleyn name was one of great importance, yet very little physical trace remains of any members of the family. At the Hub @ St Mary’s, Borman transported a full audience 500 years back to a Tudor court and the relatives of perhaps Henry VIII’s most infamous wife, Anne Boleyn. The stories about her youth in France with her sister, who became the French king’s alleged mistress, her courtship and marriage to Henry VIII and her eventual accusation of both adultery and incest before her execution.

A detailed account of the events leading up to the fall of the Boleyn family was accompanied by humour and pop culture references to programmes such as Downton Abbey to help understand the dynamic of the family. Referring to Anne’s grandmother, Margaret Butler, as a ‘Maggie Smith type’ allowed the audience to connect the matriarch to a familiar archetype.

I found that Borman had a manner of speaking that was both compelling and simple to comprehend; it was easy to be drawn into the stories as though they were tales from the present day. Perhaps it is the clear understanding she holds in the topic, shown through the research she conducted in places such as the Vatican Archives and at Hever castle (the Boleyn children’s childhood home), that made her talk so interesting. She gave visuals on a screen of a variety of artefacts from the time including paintings and Anne’s crest of the white falcon.

Very few letters written by Anne remain today, though a number of Henry’s letters to her still exist. One audience member queried whether Anne had written any letters at all or whether Henry had destroyed them in his efforts to erase his late queen forever. Borman argued that if the letters had existed it was almost certain that Henry would have burned them, but also mentioned a fire in the Seventeenth Century in the British Library that destroyed many Tudor documents. The interaction between Borman and the audience was natural and her responses to questions were both well thought out and filled with knowledge on the subject.

A particularly striking example of what made the talk so interesting was how Borman referenced how she used real historical evidence to form plot in her novel. From creating villains or forgiving those who have been deemed evil, to using real life structures such as Anne Boleyn’s secret cupboard in a scene.

Ultimately, the talk was enough to give any person further insight into the Boleyn family, even connecting them to the current king’s family through Anne’s sister Mary. Even if an audience member had no prior knowledge of the family, I believe that Borman was able to teach the story in a thoroughly enjoyable way.

By Emelia C

Emelia is in Year 11 at school and her favourite subjects are English and French but she has a passion for history. She is currently unsure of what she wants to do when she is older but she knows she wants to work in a field that allows her to be creative as she loves to write. Her favourite author at the moment is Holly Jackson, who wrote the a Good Girls Guide to Murder series. She wanted to become a young critic because she has always loved writing and loves to share opinions on the media she consumes. She loves to write because she finds it a good way to share what she’s thinking and feeling. Live performances also appeal to her as she’s often visited the theatre and enjoy listening to others talking to an audience. She has found her experience as a young critic so far exciting and inspiring.

If you’re aged 11-18 and would like to be a festival reviewer, applications will open soon for Young Critics – find out more on our website https://lichfieldfestival.org/aspire/young-critics/