A Man for all Seasons

Reviewed by Deborah Klugman
Actors Co-op David Schall Theatre
Through April 15

Thomas More was an exceptional man — a lawyer, writer and scholar who rose from the merchant class he was born into to become a chancellor for King Henry VIII. Friends with Europe’s great intellectuals, including Erasmus, who published his work, he is remembered today for his novel Utopia (a term he coined) which espoused the virtue of communal property, among other uncommon and radical ideas.

But More was also a deeply devout Catholic, and when called upon to sign an oath (demanded of everyone at court) to support Henry’s break with the Church in Rome, he demurred. So, despite years of faithful service and a reputation for unimpeachable honesty, he was executed for treason in 1535.

More’s fall is dramatized in Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons, which premiered in London in 1960 before arriving on Broadway in 1962 and evolving into an Academy Award winning film in 1966. The title is plucked from a description of More by a contemporary, who characterized him as gentle, affable, witty, learned, and with a good sense of humor — in other words, a really good guy, in addition to a truly moral man.

Directed by Thom Babbes at Actors Coop, Bolt’s play pits the principled More (Bruce Ladd) against a collection of sycophants, prevaricators and self-serving materialists who conspire to bring him down. Chief among them is Thomas Cromwell (John Allee), who engineers a trap by persuading a former admirer of More’s, Richard Rich (Mitchell Lam Hau), to falsely testify that More accepted a bribe in a case he was presiding over. Even former friends, afraid for their own skin (Henry was a wrathful and determined man), participate in More’s trial as part of the prosecution.

Obviously, a drama that rises or falls on the moral worth of the pivotal character demands a compelling performance at its center. But Ladd, who did such a fine job last year portraying a discombobulated Beethoven in 33 Variations, seems at a loss to connect with this role of martyr and scholar. He captures More as a sweet loving father and husband, but as a superior intellect and a man who serves as everyone else’s moral compass, he falls short.

The second most interesting role in the play is that of Rich, who starts out adoring More and craving his recognition, but ends up betraying him. Hau spends a lot of time looking guilty, but again we are presented with few complexities in the performance. Allee’s Cromwell is also a one-note villain.

Perhaps taking a cue from Jonathan Rhys Meyers in The Tudors, a leather-clad Ian Michaels spices things up a bit with his swaggering macho Henry. As More’s loving daughter Margaret, Elsa Gay observes the proceedings with persuasive dismay, as does Isaac Jay as her Lutheran husband, who cares for his father-in-law despite their differences.

Lighting designer Lisa D. Katz under-lights the conspiratorial scenes, with actors sometimes too much in the dark. Shon Leblanc’s period costumes are spot on.

Actors Co-op David Schall Theatre, 1760 Gower St., Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 2:30 p.m.; through April 15; www.ActorsCo-op.org or (323) 462-8460. Running time: approximate two hours and 20 minutes with an intermission.