By Cindy Whitehair and Perry Whitehair
I am a history buff. All things historic send my imagination into overdrive, which is why I jumped at the opportunity to go see A Man For All Seasons at The Leishman Performance Hall at CenterPoint Legacy Theater. The play by Robert Bolt is based on the true life story of Sir Thomas More, the 16th Century Lord Chancellor and adviser to King Henry VIII. When Henry wanted to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn, Sir Thomas refused to be part of it. When he refused Henry’s demand that Thomas as head of the Roman Catholic Church in England accept his appeal to set Catherine aside, Henry had him tried for treason and beheaded.
The Leishman Performance Hall is Centerpoint’s quaint black box theater. We were immediately greeted by a spartan, but as soon we found out as we watched the show, very utilitarian set. The various height platforms and stair units expanded the performance space nicely. The use of the white backdrop allowed them to change locations and mood with various artistic projections.
Director Jan Davis, also the Executive Director for CenterPoint Legacy Theatre, did an exceptional job capturing the tone and the spirit of the play. This is a difficult subject and it was handled beautifully.
Perry and I loved the performance of Todd Wente – who played “The Common Man”– everything from Sir Thomas’ manservant Matthew, a boat for hire oarsman, a pub owner, a juror and all around man about town. Each different character had his own persona so that you did not see him as the same person in different jobs–a daunting challenge that he met with flair.
John Adams had the challenge of playing Sir Thomas More. Sir Thomas has the lion’s share of the dialogue in this show. I don’t know if it was opening night jitters, but there were a couple of missed lines that he went back and corrected that were a bit distracting from his overall performance. However, Adams was stellar in this challenging role.
We both loved Carol Thomas who played Lady Alice More. I found myself tearing up at her interactions with John Adams in the jail scene.
Jeff Davis played a perfectly creepy Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell is one of those classic villains who everyone loves to hate. Perry and I had a great chuckle after the show reading Davis’ bio where he said he “welcomes the opportunity to play a truly nasty guy again.” He did it without falling prey to the usual stereotypes and still had us feeling every slimy, evil moment. It was also fun watching his machinations that ended up bringing an earnest Master Richard Rich (played wonderfully by Dann Howard) into his nefarious plot against Sir Thomas.
The depth of this cast was the true strength of this production. The supporting cast gave such solid, even performances that it is difficult not to rave about each one of them. Some of our favorite moments were the garden scene with Henry VIII (played to maniacal perfection by Rusty Bringhurst) and the jail scene where Todd Perkins (who played More’s son-in-law William Roper) showed the culmination in his character’s growth as he took charge of the family from his father-in-law.
The play gives a nice feel of the palace intrigue that ran rampant especially in Henry VIII’s reign – the interchanges between Cromwell, Rich, Cardinal Wolsey (Richard Judd), the Duke of Norfolk (Dave Madsen) and Signor Chapuys (Dave Hill) weaved the tapestry on which the play is based.
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The costuming by Liz Richardson was amazing. The detail on the court costumes was impeccable. As I stated earlier, I loved the set design by Brian Hahn and Jan Davis. My only complaint about the show was the lighting by Josh Roberts. There were several times where main characters (Cromwell in the pub scene, Henry VIII in the garden scene and Lord Norfolk on the docks) were in half shadow and half light. I found that to be a bit distracting.
What makes this play timeless is the subject matter – the tug of war between conscience and the court of public opinion, between law and religion, and between standing up for what is right versus what is expedient or comfortable. While each of us probably does not have to make decisions quite as difficult of those Sir Thomas faced, there are days when we may feel like we all have to make similar decisions.
In other words, A Man for All Seasons was a slice of life – there were well-played laughs and there were plenty of tears as well.
This show is appropriate for all ages, but honestly, kids under 12 may have a hard time following some of the plot just because of the court intrigue. The implied beheading at the end of the show may also disturb some younger children. That said, if you love history, if you love a good story or you love the crispness of Elizabethan English, you really MUST see A Man For All Seasons.
CenterPoint Legacy Theater presents A Man For All Seasons by Robert Bolt. Performances are every Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 PM, February 14- March 8 in the Leishman Performance Hall at CenterPoint Legacy Theater, 525 N 400 W Centerville UT, 84014. The Leishman Performance Hall is located on the main floor behind the concession stand.
Tickets are $15.00 and can be purchased by phone 801-298-1302 or online at http://www.centerpointtheatre.
Photos by Kara Jensen Photography
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