When King Henry VIII of England fell for Anne Boleyn in 1526, it began a romance that turned Europe upside down. Henry already was married to Catherine (or Katherine) of Aragon, daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. About three years later,Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, declared the Henry-Catherine marriage null and void and Henry prepared to marry Anne, who was already pregnant (some things just never change and Henry would have four more wives). Meanwhile, Sir Thomas More, the Lord Chancellor and a man revered for his honesty, refused to go along with the annulment.
The struggle set up by More's reaction to the actions of Henry and Cranmer is the basic tale of "A Man for All Seasons," Robert Bolt's wonderful play that opened over the weekend as a production of the St. Louis Actors Theatre, on stage at the History Museum to run through Dec. 20.
Bolt, an English writer, first dealt with the topic in a television tale for the BBC, then wrote it as a play that ran 18 months on Broadway starting in 1961. He did it again as the screenplay for a 1966 movie. He and the play earned both a Tony and an Oscar, as did Paul Scofield, who was More on Broadway and in Hollywood. The film, directed by Fred Zinneman, had a cast that included Wendy Hiller, Leo McKern, Robert Shaw, Orson Welles, Susannah York, John Hurt, Corin Redgrave and Colin Blakely.
The Actors Studio production, directed with grace and power by Milton Zoth, who battled some difficult problems with the theater's layout and design, but made it work on Patrick Huber's simple, understated set which proves that less can be more. Huber also designed the lighting, which suffered because of the conditions of the theater. Michele Siler's costumes also proved the value of simplicity, but went all out in several cases, using the clothing's flash and filigree almost as set decorations.
William Roth was a most effective Thomas More, showing his idealism and his legalism, which clashed often along the way. It's a long, tough role which demands he show dominance in most of his scenes, and he does it well. Theresa Doggett was a splendid match as his wife, understanding her husband's choices but resisting them, wishing he would go along with the king to give them a happy, well-designed life. Charlie Barron, as the Common Man and as several Uncommon Men, delivered beautifully, finding the differences to distinguish one personality from another, trying to show feelings for More, but always having to hide them.
Christopher Hickey, as the weaselly, sneaky Richard Rich, made his thinking a little too obvious from time to time, but mostly was very effective. Kevin Beyer, as Thomas Cromwell, the king's prosecutor and fighter for the break with Rome and the Pope, is devilishly clever and a man who understands entrapment and coercion in the style made famous by Sen. Joseph McCarthy in his witch-hunts of the 1940s. "Your loss of innocence," he sneers to Rich, "If you just noticed it, it could not be important." It's a solid performance, and he pairs very well with Larry Dell, who is absolutely splendid, doing outstanding work as the Duke of Norfolk, loyal friend and supporter of More.
But More violently rejects compromise, as we know he will.
Accents vary here and there; some actors use them well, some not so well and some wisely decided not to bother.
Bolt's story of passion and loyalty, of idealism and truth, is a superior play with numerous parallels to what it is going on here and in other places in the world, and while it is set in the 16th century, it's as new as tomorrow morning. I was mesmerized as I have not been for a long time, and though the play runs two hours and 45 minutes, it just zipped by for me.
A production of the St. Louis Actors Theatre at the Missouri History Museum, through Dec. 20.
-Joe
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