A Man For All Seasons

Fitzwilliam Theatre - Friday 6th - Sunday 8th November

3/5

Robert Bolt's 'A Man For All Seasons' has enjoyed somewhat of a revival in recent times, after years of apparent non-existence since its Oscar-winning film adaptation in 1966. Frankly, it might have been better if it had been left to die a death among the droves of other distinctly average costume dramas.

Set in the midst of Henry VIII's epochal war with the Roman Catholic Church, the play centre's around Sir Thomas More's refusal to support the annulment of the King's marriage to Catherine of Aragon. One might think that this would provide for an exciting evening of ardent altercations, but in fact it results in far too much pondering and pontificating, debate and discussion, which might be better suited to a fairly dull lecture than a night out at the theatre.

Grumblings aside, the cast worked very well with what little Bolt's script had given them. Will Hensher's Sir Thomas More was excellent from start to finish - a true 'man for all seasons' who would come through rain or shine. Steadfast and unyielding, his matter-of-fact demeanour captured the manner of a man deep in thought, and his delivery of his final lines in the courtroom could not be faulted. Matt Kilroy's exuberant performance as King immediately grabbed the audience's attention, Meg's vulnerability was played beautifully by Emma Miles, and William Hess brought a distinctly Spanish flavour to his comical Signor Chapuys.

Comedy was, in fact, what was required to carry off this nearly-three-hour-long epic of a play. Perhaps it was due to first night nerves, but there were several opportunities where humour seemed to go amiss, with some characters consistently over- or underacting their wittier lines, and only the Latin outburst between Meg and the King really achieving the desired audience response.

However, the direction truly triumphed in their handling of the Brechtian figure of the Common Man, a difficult role well-played by Sam Gilbert. During the play, this figure takes on numerous identities including that of More's steward, the boatman and the executioner, and it was an inspired decision to dress him in simple black jeans and shirt, alienating him from the rest of the cast, whose costumes oozed 16th Century courtly splendour.

The costumes were just one facet of the huge amount of effort that had clearly been put into this play to recreate the ambiance of Tudor England, but unfortunately the hard work of cast and crew was somewhat hampered by a script in which nothing much actually happens. That said, the multitude of strong individual performances made for a pleasurable night at the theatre, and one has the feeling that we shall be seeing some of these faces again in the not-so-distant future.

Hannah Miller