STAGE: A Head of Its Time

Thomas More loses his head, but not his soul, in A Man for All Seasons

Steve Bornfeld

Beheading: A Comedy.


Odd creature, A Man for All Seasons: Funny. Dramatic. Tragic. Ennobling. ... Funny.


Truly, a play for all seasons, and it receives a production nearly worthy of it by UNLV's Nevada Conservatory Theatre that's more studded with Equity actors than usual, led by G. W. Bailey—Sgt. Rizzo of M*A*S*H* fame.


So much soars in this Seasons, yet at its core—the Man of the title, played by James Sutorius—lies a perfunctory performance where the fire of passion should blaze, muting a play of enormous power.


Robert Bolt's work dramatizes a church-state standoff in 16th-century England:


Lord Chancellor Sir Thomas More, a devout Christian, refuses to sanction King Henry VIII's request to the pope to nullify his marriage to Catherine—who's borne him no male heirs—to wed Anne Boleyn. After withdrawing from the Catholic Church in Rome, Henry establishes himself atop the new Church of England and demands an oath of allegiance from his subjects. When More, loyal to Rome, refuses, he is convicted of treason and executed.


One man's uncompromising integrity to the bitter end—in contemporary terms, a guy who talks the talk and walks the walk. The kind of politician we claim to crave today, who couldn't get elected to a co-op board.


Seasons is streaked with laughs, mostly generated by the impish Bailey as The Common Man. As narrator and multiple bit player, Bailey guides us through the play, reminding us of More's singular courage and sprinkling sparkling bits of shtick—wry asides, bemused double takes, sly commentary—with nimble puckishness. We come to relish his every entrance, his commonness our conduit to these royal combatants.


Sumptuous production values abound, especially Jeffrey Fiala's gorgeous set design—a sloping, cathedral-style construction with maze-like multilevels that director Robert Brewer fully exploits, blocking his actors to use virtually all of the stage. This show never stands still for long.


Kelly James-Penot's ornate costuming, flowing robes, cloaks and gowns flourishing with period detail, are a visual treat; and Ben Elliott's intriguing lighting—stage awash in moody reds, blues, yellows and soft white spotlights—nicely complements illustrative background projections.


A strong supporting cast includes Michael Tylo (Blade, The Young and the Restless) as the Duke of Norfolk, whose friendly counsel is ignored by More; Phil Hubbard as boisterous Henry VIII; and especially Steve Rapella, dripping deviousness as Thomas Cromwell, who manipulates More to the chopping block with nary a nod to his conscience.


Yet in the central part, Sutorius is not up to the power of the role, like a man wearing a suit two sizes too large, the play awkwardly hanging off shoulders not broad enough to carry it. His More is affably wise, avuncular, even humorous. But for a man willing to sacrifice his life for his ideals, an undercurrent of iron-willed fortitude is sorely lacking as the first act's events—his ascent as chancellor, his daughter's romance with a "heretic" Lutheran and the cajoling by the duke, Henry and Cardinal Wolsey (Fine Arts Dean Jeffrey Koep) to soften his stance—ramp up to More's second-act imprisonment, trial and execution.


The play's dramatic momentum sees it through its tragic, noble climax, More telling his executioner: "Fear not your office, for you send me to God."


But the steel of this Man is not securely bolted, and at a 2:45 performing time (with intermission), its foundation wobbles. With Bailey's sprightly guide so deftly played on one side, while Sutorius' More less than he could be on the other, this Man for All Seasons is a play out of balance.

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