Wolf Hall: Parts 1 & 2 are adapted by Mike Poulton from Hilary Mantel's double Man Booker Prize winning novels, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies (published Henry Holt in the U.S.). The plays are based on the deceit, betrayal, and intrigue of the court of Henry VIII. The production features a company of more than twenty actors, headed by Ben Miles as Thomas Cromwell, Lydia Leonard as Anne Boleyn, and Nathaniel Parker as King Henry VIII, all under the direction of Olivier Award nominee Jeremy Herrin, who makes his New York City directing debut. The Royal Shakespeare Company is appearing with the permission of Actors' Equity Association.
I haven't read either of Ms. Mantel's much-praised novels, nor am I a scholar of 16th-century England. I can, however, assure you that Mr. Poulton's 51/2 -hour stage version of 'Wolf Hall,' unlike Bolt's immaculately crafted, endlessly quotable play, is competent but dullish, a procession of short, choppy scenes in which nobody ever says anything more memorable than 'Bring up the bodies!' The acting is as devoid of sparkle as the script, with Mr. Miles giving us a flat and uncharismatic Cromwell and Nathaniel Parker's King Henry sounding way too much like Peter O'Toole.
As cunningly played by Ben Miles...Cromwell is at once cipher, savior and demon over nearly six hours of wrangling between pope and crown, and then within the vipers' nest that was the court of King Henry VIII (Nathaniel Parker)...Given the long shadow of English history plays, there are faint but unmistakable textual echoes of Shakespeare two great tetralogies...But the comparison is double-edged; as much as the fact-crammed pageantry of Wolf Hall maintains admirable clarity and pacing, it often lacks the sudden burst of lyricism or philosophical depth you find in the Bard. In other words, I'd have taken more poetry over plot. Still, as a fast-paced political thriller, it is fiendishly engaging, and director Jeremy Herrin's 23-member corps skillfully distinguishes multiple roles.
Videos