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Mike Poulton’s theatrical adaptions of Hilary Mantel’s two Man
Booker prize winning novels, Wolf
Hall and Bring Up The Bodies, have
consistently received five star reviews from newspapers and critics
alike since it debuted in Stratford-upon-Avon last December. These
productions moved to Aldwych Theatre in May and even though,
due to sheer popular demand, it has been extended to the start of
October, there are a very limited number of tickets left for
Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies. This just
illustrates how quickly word spread that this was the show
to see this year (if you’re lucky enough to find tickets, that is.)
And I was a lucky one. On Saturday afternoon, I sat myself down in
the stalls for the matinee performance of Wolf
Hall and witnessed Henry VIII’s Tudor court come to life
before me…
As I took to my seat, the sparseness of the staging took me by
surprise. There were no colourful tapestries hanging, no
candlesticks, no engraved wooden panelling acting as walls, no
roaring fireplace; it completely lacked any aspects of Tudor
buildings. Instead, audiences are confronted with what seems
to be blank dark stone flooring and thick matching walls. High
above the stage hang metal crates, bound together. The setting felt
cold, dark and uneasy; all the characteristics you would expect
from the events that occur during Wolf Hall.
And so the performance began. After a storming entrance and a bit
of dancing from all of the cast, the play begins with Cardinal
Wolsey speaking to his protégé, Thomas Cromwell, about the King’s
need for a male heir. This is the late 1520s, Henry VIII is getting
on a tad, and his wife, Katherine of Aragon, even more so. Only one
child has been produced from their long marriage, a girl called
Mary, and Henry is getting increasingly anxious about the
succession to his throne. However, this is not the story of Henry
VIII, his pursue of Anne Boleyn and the ‘King’s Great Matter’. No,
this is the story of Thomas Cromwell, a ‘blacksmith’s boy’, and how
he got absorbed in the court antics of the day which have
defined our history ever since.
From what I have read, Ben Miles has not received one bad review
for his portrayal of Cromwell, and why would he? He is the stand
out character of this production. Cromwell, who is sometimes seen
as the ‘arch-villain’ in history books, is displayed in a
completely different light in this. With his confident cockney
accent, demure clothes and relaxed demeanour, Miles creates a new
perspective of the man from ‘humble beginnings’, who made it all
the way to the King’s ear. Miles does not play Cromwell as a man
who is advantageous or determined for power; he is calm throughout,
never raising his voice, and even becomes almost likeable.
As an audience, you witness how Cromwell is forced to watch his
master (Wolsey) be stripped of his position, and how those around
him become increasingly trusting and dependant on him, including
the King himself. Although some critics have commented that the
scene where Cromwell learns of his wife and two daughters’ deaths
is too quick to fully appreciate Miles’ touching reaction, I
disagree with this to a certain extent. Yes, it would be easy to
extend the scene somewhat further to allow Cromwell to grieve more,
but the fact that he is forced to quickly ‘bounce back’ from his
personal loss in order to deal with the problems at court
illustrates just how politically demanding this particular period
of time was. Certainly no one can doubt the sympathy the audience
feel towards Miles during his poignant expression of grief for his
character’s wife and daughters.
What struck me from the outset was how funny this
production was. With the knowledge of the amount of arrests,
executions, rivalries and back-stabbings that occurred during this
time period, I did not expect Wolf Hall to make
me laugh out loud as much as it did. Paul Jesson (Cardinal Wolsey)
and Ben Miles deliver their one-liners naturally and with such
assertion, it’s as if they have never said them before. Pierro
Niel-Mee’s character, Cromwell’s mischievous French servant
Christophe, brings light relief to more serious scenes with his
bold lines and drunken ramblings, whilst Daniel Fraser acts as
Cromwell’s adolescent son, Gregory, with great naivety to the
complexities of the political age and his father’s involvement in
court dealings.
A particular mention must be made about Joey Batey, who plays court
musician Mark Smeaton. Some may recognise Batey from last year’s
BBC historical drama The White Queen, where he played
Henry VI’s frightfully cold son, Prince Edward. However, in this
production, he plays Smeaton with great wit and ease. Other
audience members may be shocked to find that this is
Batey’s theatrical debut, as he also brings amusement to the
play when being teased by risqué Christophe or when happily
flitting around the stage after joining the royal court to
entertain Anne Boleyn. Although we do not witness any romance
appearing between his character and Henry’s second wife, Batey
successfully makes inclinations towards his growing favour for the
Queen with his subtle glances and pauses. Lydia Leonard (Anne
Boleyn) cleverly ignores Smeaton’s presence when he is sent to her
household, and continues to forget the musician’s name when
courtiers make reference to him or his music. Onlookers can only
laugh as neither characters realise what lies ahead for both of
them…
Lydia Leonard plays a feisty and determined Anne Boleyn. Although
we initially witness Anne dressed as Perseverance at a court dance
and receiving attention from the King, that is all the audience see
of their flirtation. All of the audience’s knowledge of their
relationship and how Henry pursued Anne is behind closed doors; we
simply listen in on the gossiping from courtiers and learn about
how far their relationship progresses. When we finally meet Anne,
Leonard dictates the scene and all of the characters around her. At
this point in the story, Anne has moved into the royal household
and the question of whether Henry is able to annul his
current marriage is already being discussed. Everyone around
Leonard reacts to her deepened tone of voice and self-assurance.
Leah Brotherhead (Jane Seymour) responds to Anne’s presence so much
so that she can only cower in a corner in fear of the not-yet
Queen.
Part of me believes there should have been more vulnerability to
Anne’s character, along with a bit more ‘sex-appeal’. Anne is
strong-willed for sure in this production, but lacking the supposed
charm and allure that contemporary accounts suggest Anne had. The
way Leonard also kept on purposely saying Cromwell’s name in a
strained and unnecessary French accent was also quite irritating
(but that is possibly no fault of the actor, as she was probably
directed to pronounce it in such a way).
Of course we cannot write a review and miss mentioning Henry VIII
altogether. Nathaniel Parker displays Henry’s desperation for a
male heir and his belief in his faith with brilliant sincerity.
Yet, I believe Parker is at his best when he is stripped bare of
his jewels and clothes, and portrays Henry at his most vulnerable
(which is when he is coincidentally in his nightdress). Henry’s
dreams of his dead brother, Arthur, haunt him, and his doubts
surrounding Anne’s fidelity and her miscarriage all lead Henry to
question his actions. Parker illustrates how dependant Henry became
on Cromwell in a kind of child-like way, and you genuinely feel for
Henry when he expresses his fears that maybe he has gone too
far…
It is hard not to make note of every cast member, and I will
restrain myself from commenting on every character. Oscar Pearce
plays George Boleyn as a stupid and rash character; you expect him
to stomp his feet and run off stage to his father at any given
moment if he doesn’t get his own way (I think he may have actually
stomped his feet at one point if I remember correctly). Joshua
Silver, who plays Cromwell’s secretary Rafe Sadler, has great
conviction in his speeches and possesses the same air of calm that
Miles has when playing Cromwell. Lucy Briers holds her place firmly
as the King’s “true wife” Katherine of Aragon, but doesn’t play
Jane Boleyn’s character with as much sentiment. Nicholas Boulton
convinces audiences of his great friendship with the King with his
portrayal of the Duke of Suffolk (he’s one of the only characters
who can naturally call the King ‘Harry’), whilst Nicholas Day plays
the ‘pushy uncle’ in full force as the Duke of Norfolk.
Although Wolf Hall is over three hours long
(including an interval), at no point did I feel this production was
dragging at all. Every scene had a purpose and helped build
momentum to the finale. I only wish I could have acquired tickets
for the evening performance of Bring Up The
Bodies as I was left wanting to watch the drama of
1536 unfold even further.
There are a very limited number of tickets left for
Wolf Hall and Bring Up The
Bodies. The season ends on 4th October, so get
them now before they’re gone! Tickets are priced between £10 for
on-the-day tickets and £112.50 for premium seats.
Photo credits: Jessica Hope ©]]>
