Review of "A Man for All Seasons"

Copley News Service
Reviewed by Dan Zeff
November 11, 2005

A Man for All Seasons is that theatrical rarity, a historical play that became both a commercial and artistic hit. The Robert Bolt drama opened in England to much acclaim in 1960 and then traveled to Broadway in 1961, where the locals predicted an early demise. After all, how many playgoers would be attracted to the story of an English nobleman who got his head chopped off for defying King Henry VIII almost 500 years ago?

It turns out a great many Americans were attracted to the show, partly because of a memorable performance by Paul Scofield as Sir Thomas More, the central character. But the play obviously struck a chord with audiences for its literacy, wit, and its skill at raising issues that could stimulate and unsettle a viewer. The motion picture adaptation continued the triumph, winning an Academy Award as best picture of the year plus an Oscar for
Scofield.

The TimeLine Theatre is reviving A Man for All Seasons in a resourceful and beautifully acted production that adds additional luster to this rising acting company.

The action is set in England during the 1520s and 1530s. Sir Thomas More is one of the most admired men in Europe as a humanist and scholar. He is also Lord Chancellor of England, the highest office in the land below the king.
More is a devout Roman Catholic at a time when the Reformation is sweeping Europe. Henry is married to Catherine of Aragon, but the queen cannot give the king a son and heir. So Henry seeks a divorce so he can marry the presumably more fertile Anne Boleyn.

On religious and moral grounds, More refuses to go along with the Henry's demand that he endorse the divorce. More's refusal leads to a conspiracy to discredit him, ending with his imprisonment and execution. The hook in the story is that More desperately does not want to be a martyr. Unfortunately for his well-being, he is a man of conscience and his adherence to his conscience and his religious faith destroy him. But he does get a sainthood out of it. The church canonized More in 1935, making him the patron saint of statesmen and politicians.

The play displays a crowded canvas of colorful characters, all based on historical fact. There are schemers and betrayers like Cardinal Wolsey, Richard Rich, and Thomas Cromwell. There is More's nagging wife Alice and his plucky daughter Margaret and his supporters William Roper and the Duke of Norfolk.

The playwright also creates a figure simply called the Common Man. He serves as a kind of narrator and confident to the audience while playing an assortment of individuals within the story. The Common Man is just that, a person about audience high in his intelligence and attitude toward life, which is to survive by not making trouble. Let men like Sir Thomas More go to their deaths for lofty ideals. The Common Man, speaking for us, changes his moral spots as events dictate and lives to breathe another day.

The TimeLine production is performed in casual modern dress and without English accents. The modern clothing gives the story a more universal quality and also saves the company a good deal of money. A period staging of A Man for All Seasons can be pretty pricey in pageantry and rich looking cloaks and gowns. The set consists of a bare stage partially bisected by a sliver of water that represents the River Thames among other locations. Otherwise, the physical production relies on a few props and some dramatic lighting to carry us back to 16th century England.

The youthful TimeLine cast is led by David Parkes as Sir Thomas More. Parkes delivers a witty, sometimes eloquent performance. Early in the play he is perhaps a little too breezy, at the cost of conveying some of More's intellectual heft. But late in the play, he handles More's decline and fall with dignity and quiet but intense conviction.

The supporting cast is filled with good performances. Brad Woodard makes the most of Henry VIII's single scene, capturing the young king's vanity, exuberance, and steely will. Janet Ulrich Brooks and Joey Honsa are strong and affecting as More's wife and daughter. Mark Richard is superb as the Common Man, perfectly capturing the character's desire to ride out his life with a maximum of self-interest and a minimum of high-minded risk taking.

There is also good work from Don Blair (Cardinal Wolsey), John Carter Brown (Cromwell), Kurt Ehrmann (the Duke of Norfolk), Madison Dirks (Richard Rich), Sean Parker (the Spanish ambassador), John Zinn (Cranmer), and Hunter Stiebel (William Roper). Edward Sobol directs with intelligence and theatrical savvy, fitting this epic tragedy neatly on the tiny TimeLine stage.

The audience leaves the theater wondering if More was a hero or just stubborn, throwing his life away on a lost cause that causes grief for his family and death for himself. His refusal to endorse the king's divorce was ultimately futile. The king got his divorce and married Anne Boleyn. More accomplished nothing except being true to himself. How we would act in his shoes is a matter for much pondering.

The show gets a rating of four stars. * * * *