Conscience lies at the very heart of Robert Bolt’s terrific play, first seen in 1960 but given an embryonic radio outing some years earlier.
OUR VERDICT
Simon Annand
The eponymous hero is Sir Thomas More, whose singular integrity secured his own inevitable downfall when opposing the rampaging egoism of monarch Henry VIII.
“A monstrous baby whom none dared gainsay” is how Bolt memorably described the King, who declared himself Supreme Head of the English Church, jettisoning Papal authority and forcing all to sign the Oath of Succession, something More dangerously refused.
After appearing in the West End production of 2006, Martin Shaw again reprises his role as More, incisively capturing this extraordinary man's intelligence, eloquence and moral intensity in a truly captivating performance.
Bolt took the play’s title from praise given by Robert Whittington, a contemporary of More’s who called him “ a man of angel's wit and singular learning. And, as time requireth, a man of marvellous mirth and pastimes, and some time of as sad gravity. A man for all seasons.”
Simon Annand
In the Tudor world of the court, where most acquiesced or capitulated, choosing expediency as their currency, More’s unshakeable integrity could not be compromised. As he tries to explain to his friend, the worldlier Duke of Norfolk, “What matters is not that it's true, but that I believe it; or no, not that I believe it, but that I believe it.”
Wittily playing the Common Man- an Everyman figure who frames the play’s narrative - Gary Wilmot briefly dons many parts: More’s household servant, a jailer, a boatman and finally, an executioner. He cannily represents the general populace as they try to survive Life’s vicissitudes, dodging and diving as best they can.
In Jonathan Church’s moving production, the ensemble is generally strong throughout.
Although Henry VIII is only glimpsed in one scene, Orlando James captures the man’s mercurial nature and dangerous bonhomie; no doubt this is a regal tiger one dare not provoke. Edward Bennett is a much harder, more Machiavellian figure than the Cromwell audiences may now associate with Wolf Hall but he’s really persuasive, as is Timothy Watson’s baffled Norfolk and Calum Finlay’s self-seeking Rich.
Simon Annand
Abigail Cruttenden and newcomer Annie Kingsnorth provide strong support as More’s wife, Alice, and scholarly daughter, Meg.
The atmosphere of More’s comfortable Chelsea home- and the courtly world he inhabits- is beautifully conjured by Simon Higlett’s impressive Tudor set, all wood panelling and dark corners where the likes of servile Richard Rich scuttle whilst trying to secure career progression.
At the play’s start, all is warm comfort, with fires burning and much convivial cheer, but as More’s fortunes plunge, his home gets starker, and it’s plain how much is being sacrificed for belief.
Seeing More as a family man and a religious figurehead is important, as it lends humanity and credibility to his predicament. Shaw commands the stage superbly from first to last, and one cannot imagine anyone better in this role, conveying what’s dubbed More’s ‘moral squint’ (his conviction) with consummate credibility.
