A Man For All Seasons, and More

THEATER

A Man for All Seasons

By Robert Bolt

Directed by Joseph Gfaller '01

Starring Tim Foley '98, Edie Bishop '00, Jay Chaffan '01, David Joffe '00, Lindsey McCormack '02, Paul Monteleone '01, Julie Rattey '02, Jerry Ruiz '00

Loeb Ex

Oct. 14-16

A Man for All Seasons

By Robert Bolt

Directed by Joseph Gfaller '01

Starring Tim Foley '98, Edie Bishop '00, Jay Chaffan '01, David Joffe '00, Lindsey McCormack '02, Paul Monteleone '01, Julie Rattey '02, Jerry Ruiz '00

Loeb Ex

Oct. 14-16

At the end of the script for A Man For All Seasons, the playwright reminds us that the purpose of the play is to "celebrate the man." Robert Bolt's work does so masterfully. Powerfully written and expressive, Bolt's presentation of Sir Thomas More's life before death stands on its own as a strikingly haunting and beautiful play. Without a doubt, it is something we should all experience. How could we not? We will leave the play feeling more insecure, yet confident in what it should mean to be humbly human. And now we can--this week, director Joseph Gfaller '01 and his cast and crew will present the drama and danger of More's unique, yet universal moral dilemmas in the Loeb Experimental Theatre.

The story of Sir Thomas More is firmly based in history. Henry VIII, of six wives' fame, wants to divorce his wife, and in doing so divorce the English church from Rome. But Thomas More, a respected official famed for his honesty and integrity, will not go along with this. All sides, all people demand that he give in to necessity and agree with the divorce and the new church. But More cannot; he is a man loyal to his soul above all else, and stubbornly refuses to save first his position, then his comfort, and finally his life.

This short synopsis cannot do justice to the work or the performance. We all know how the story must end--we would be foolish to suspect that More would give in. But the reason the audience can be so deeply moved in ways it doesn't completely understand is that the focus is not on political intrigue or what is right or wrong. We care because More is an honorable man in circumstances that are all too real. And the fact that he is the best of what we aspire to be makes his fate even more heartbreaking, even though we fully comprehend the practical reasons for which it all happens.

As the man for all seasons, Tim Foley '98 will make you want to cry. Those who are familiar with the play or its movie adaptation might be worried through the first act that Foley is not as great an actor as More was a man. But as the tension and action build into the second act, Foley proves himself to be abundantly worthy. His performance rises with the pressure level--the sincerity and passion of More are palpable. By the final scene, he is the martyr and the man; he is, quite simply, outstanding.

Naturally, Thomas More is not the only character who matters. Julie Rattey '02, Jay Chaffan '01, Jerry Ruiz '00 and David Joffe '00 all add their own valuable as Richard Rich, the Common Man, Norfolk and King Henry, respectively. Paul Monteleone '01 has an especially forceful presence as Cromwell, and Edie Bishop '00 gives a touching portrayal of More's wife, Alice.

This production includes some new and inventive scenes not found in the script--pantomimes set to Carmina Burana that provide some melodrama and historical background, not to mention a great way to draw us in to this historical scandal. Drama permeates the whole show, and the intimidating music and effective lighting help the actors excel in this production.

The intimacy that only comes with the Loeb Ex and the convincing period costumes help to give the play the presence necessary to show the true injustice of More's practically perfect ideals struggling in an imperfect world. But the costumes and music are by no means the most consequential things the audience should remember. What should not be forgotten are the faces that bring the drama in your face, and that breathe life into this tragically uplifting story.