A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt

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Originally uploaded by dwri.

January 5, 2006
Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, UK

Teacher, playwright and producer, Robert Bolt’s most noted work, which was voted Best Foreign Play of the Year in 1962 details the Reformation in England during the 1500’s. More specifically, it focuses on the life of Sir Thomas Moore, Lord Chancellor of England and the moral decisions he is forced to make during his life. The January 5, 2006 production of the play at Theatre Royal Haymarket highlighted the moral dilemmas faced by Moore and the struggle between good and evil. The production, directed by Michael Rudman, was my second favorite show that we saw in London. I specifically enjoyed the use of the static set throughout the entire performance, which is a staging layout I’m familiar with from my days of theatre. Referred to as a unit setting, the lighting and scenic design stayed primarily constant during the entire evening, save for lighting changes to emphasize mood changes and sense of day or night, dusk or dawn, interior or exterior. It can even be argued that the lighting was chiaroscuro at times, as the contrasts of light and shade were used to highlight change in mood and change of location. The scene at the bridge was especially chiaroscuro due to the harsh lines, deep colors and dark shadows, all converging to hint toward a conspiracy. The beauty of a unit set is that in its skeletal form, it provides a fragmented background that the audience must use as the outline of the setting and then fill in the blanks, requiring tangible participation from the audience. A Man for All Seasons required this participation, but it was carried out willingly, creating a vibrant performance that complemented the theatre. The beauty of the rhythm set allowed for the flow to follow the precedent set by quick scene changes found in film and helped fill downtime appropriately. The unit set allowed the monologues of The Common Man (Tony Bell) to fill in the time that would otherwise be gaps during the performance, and the flow worked appropriately.

The character of Sir Thomas Moore (Martin Shaw) was extremely well acted, coming across as with a personality strong and weak, morally unwavering and selfishly stubborn. The overall quality of acting was in my opinion the second strongest of all the shows we saw in London, as Clive Carter cleverly played the crafty Thomas Cromwell, Daniel Flynn portrayed King Henry VIII’s colorful personality and Tony Bell was hilarious yet controlled and understated as The Common Man. Tony Bell steals the show in an appropriate way, successfully undertaking the role of the common person throughout his various roles.