A Man for All Seasons
Feb. 4th, 2006 03:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
przedMy brain has finally, mostly, cleared of jetlag, so I now feel competent to post something about seeing A Man for All Seasons with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
shayheyred and justacat.
The play was on stage at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London's West End:
I'll put the actual reviews and assorted squee behind a cut.
I would have travelled to see Martin Shaw in whatever play he was doing, but it is a special pleasure to me that he chose to do A Man for All Seasons, as it's a play that's been dear to my heart for a very long time. I love stories of violent men of action—hence my affection for Pros—but I'm also a sucker for stories of people who live by their intellect, and A Man for All Seasons is definitely that. I'm not totally schizophrenic, though, since no matter what the story, I'm drawn to characters who are defined by, or at least struggle with, matters of integrity. Bodie and Doyle exist in a universe of shifting moral ground, but retain a certain integrity; Sir Thomas More is imprisoned and finally executed because he is completely unwilling, or unable, to overthrow his integrity, however pragmatic it might be to do so.
More was so perfectly played by Paul Scofield in the film of AMfAS that I was worried that Martin couldn't measure up. I needn't have been concerned. I didn't have one thought of Scofield during either performance I saw (shayheyred and I both saw it twice, from fifth row, dead centre; justacat joined us for the second performance) and Martin completely and utterly made the role his own. He showed mastery of the massive range needed to play More, from gentle playfulness to raging anger, from disappointment to grief.
One of my favourite scenes is one where More is arguing with William Roper, his future son-in-law, about the relative place of the laws of God and the laws of man. Roper has been demonstrated to be passionate about the Church, but changeable in what that means to him. (At the start he has embraced the "heresies" of Martin Luther, only to renounce them later.) Roper argues that he would not hesitate to cut down the laws of man to defeat the Devil. More points out that if you cut down man's laws, there is nothing left to protect you. His argument is calm and reasoned through much of the scene, but in the end of it, he loses his temper. He seizes his daughter's hand and pulls her behind him and says that he will hide himself and his daughter in the thickets of the law to protect them. Martin roars magnificently at this point, in a way that sent chills down my spine both times we saw the play. It's such an extraordinary moment, not least because More shows such equanimity throughout the rest of the play.
Another scene I just love occurs after More's fortunes have begun to fall. He's resigned as Chancellor and lost his position in society and his wealth, though not yet his freedom. His friend, the Duke of Norfolk, seeks him out to try to convince him to be careful. More, in his turn, tries to convince Norfolk to break off their friendship, not wanting to bring danger to Norfolk through their connection. Norfolk, being a bluff, friendly sort, will have none of it, so More deliberately picks a fight with him, ostensibly over the water spaniels (or "bog beagles," as More calls them) that Norfolk breeds. Norfolk at first refuses to be drawn into the argument, realizing what More is doing, but More is smarter, ruthless in his protection of his friends and finally resorts to impugning Norfolk's family. ("Somewhere down the line, a bitch jumped the fence.") At this point, Norfolk finally snaps and throws More across the stage. It's an extraordinary moment--Norfolk's fury and More's acceptance of it—and also sad, marking the end of a long friendship. It's also a reminder of Martin's physicality as an actor. Speaking as someone who's done a lot of martial arts, taking a fall takes a lot of skill and concentration, and Martin does it amazingly well. Make's it clear that he's still in amazing shape.
The scene with the strongest emotional impact for me is near the end. More has been in prison for some time and is finally allowed to see his family, in the hopes that they can convince him to accept the King's marriage where coercion and imprisonment have not. The scene is full of so many emotional notes: the love of More for his wife and daughter, their grief at their separation, his wife's anger at his refusal to be practical, his daughter's frustration that she cannot convince him with logic to take the oath. And Martin is the brilliant lynchpin in the centre of it all, loving to his family, yet steadfast in his conviction in spite of his plight. Most heartbreaking for me is the way that Martin as More is clearly aware that the King and the government will find a way to execute him, and soon, but his primary concern is seeing his family safe and trying to lighten the mood for them. And when the jailer comes to take them away, their parting is utterly wrenching.
Enough of the serious analysis, on to what we're all really interested in: how hot is Martin on stage? Pretty damn hot, as it turns out. He's got a killer stage presence that is only enhanced for me by the intelligence of the character he's playing. And wow, he's still in damn good shape. All the male characters wear hose, and it's quite clear that Martin has incredibly muscular calves. (I'm a sucker for men's calves; comes with dating runners and swimmers back in the day.) This is confirmed later in the play when More is in prison and reduced to only wearing a leg-exposing shift. Phwooar! And then at the very end, he pulls the shift completely down to expose his neck for the executioner and I couldn't help but notice he's still got a stunningly attractive chest. (I'm also a sucker for chests. Especially when they're furry.)
I've never been one to do the stage door thing. Part of it is being a self-effacing Canadian, part of it is the fear that I'll make a total fool of myself, part of it is the realization that I couldn't possibly say anything to an actor I admire that they haven't heard a million times before. But Martin Shaw is a special case, so egged on byshayheyred, that charming temptress, we headed to the back of the theatre. I needn't have worried about making a fool of myself, because as it turns out, Martin doesn't do the stage door thing. But he does send out his dresser to deliver things to autograph, so I now have a signed copy of the play program. Which I shall treasure. Though it would have been a trip to tell Martin in person how very much I enjoyed the performance.
More on the rest of the trip, including a few more pics, in the next few days.
shayheyred and justacat.The play was on stage at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London's West End:
I'll put the actual reviews and assorted squee behind a cut.
I would have travelled to see Martin Shaw in whatever play he was doing, but it is a special pleasure to me that he chose to do A Man for All Seasons, as it's a play that's been dear to my heart for a very long time. I love stories of violent men of action—hence my affection for Pros—but I'm also a sucker for stories of people who live by their intellect, and A Man for All Seasons is definitely that. I'm not totally schizophrenic, though, since no matter what the story, I'm drawn to characters who are defined by, or at least struggle with, matters of integrity. Bodie and Doyle exist in a universe of shifting moral ground, but retain a certain integrity; Sir Thomas More is imprisoned and finally executed because he is completely unwilling, or unable, to overthrow his integrity, however pragmatic it might be to do so.
More was so perfectly played by Paul Scofield in the film of AMfAS that I was worried that Martin couldn't measure up. I needn't have been concerned. I didn't have one thought of Scofield during either performance I saw (
shayheyred and I both saw it twice, from fifth row, dead centre; justacat joined us for the second performance) and Martin completely and utterly made the role his own. He showed mastery of the massive range needed to play More, from gentle playfulness to raging anger, from disappointment to grief.One of my favourite scenes is one where More is arguing with William Roper, his future son-in-law, about the relative place of the laws of God and the laws of man. Roper has been demonstrated to be passionate about the Church, but changeable in what that means to him. (At the start he has embraced the "heresies" of Martin Luther, only to renounce them later.) Roper argues that he would not hesitate to cut down the laws of man to defeat the Devil. More points out that if you cut down man's laws, there is nothing left to protect you. His argument is calm and reasoned through much of the scene, but in the end of it, he loses his temper. He seizes his daughter's hand and pulls her behind him and says that he will hide himself and his daughter in the thickets of the law to protect them. Martin roars magnificently at this point, in a way that sent chills down my spine both times we saw the play. It's such an extraordinary moment, not least because More shows such equanimity throughout the rest of the play.
Another scene I just love occurs after More's fortunes have begun to fall. He's resigned as Chancellor and lost his position in society and his wealth, though not yet his freedom. His friend, the Duke of Norfolk, seeks him out to try to convince him to be careful. More, in his turn, tries to convince Norfolk to break off their friendship, not wanting to bring danger to Norfolk through their connection. Norfolk, being a bluff, friendly sort, will have none of it, so More deliberately picks a fight with him, ostensibly over the water spaniels (or "bog beagles," as More calls them) that Norfolk breeds. Norfolk at first refuses to be drawn into the argument, realizing what More is doing, but More is smarter, ruthless in his protection of his friends and finally resorts to impugning Norfolk's family. ("Somewhere down the line, a bitch jumped the fence.") At this point, Norfolk finally snaps and throws More across the stage. It's an extraordinary moment--Norfolk's fury and More's acceptance of it—and also sad, marking the end of a long friendship. It's also a reminder of Martin's physicality as an actor. Speaking as someone who's done a lot of martial arts, taking a fall takes a lot of skill and concentration, and Martin does it amazingly well. Make's it clear that he's still in amazing shape.
The scene with the strongest emotional impact for me is near the end. More has been in prison for some time and is finally allowed to see his family, in the hopes that they can convince him to accept the King's marriage where coercion and imprisonment have not. The scene is full of so many emotional notes: the love of More for his wife and daughter, their grief at their separation, his wife's anger at his refusal to be practical, his daughter's frustration that she cannot convince him with logic to take the oath. And Martin is the brilliant lynchpin in the centre of it all, loving to his family, yet steadfast in his conviction in spite of his plight. Most heartbreaking for me is the way that Martin as More is clearly aware that the King and the government will find a way to execute him, and soon, but his primary concern is seeing his family safe and trying to lighten the mood for them. And when the jailer comes to take them away, their parting is utterly wrenching.
Enough of the serious analysis, on to what we're all really interested in: how hot is Martin on stage? Pretty damn hot, as it turns out. He's got a killer stage presence that is only enhanced for me by the intelligence of the character he's playing. And wow, he's still in damn good shape. All the male characters wear hose, and it's quite clear that Martin has incredibly muscular calves. (I'm a sucker for men's calves; comes with dating runners and swimmers back in the day.) This is confirmed later in the play when More is in prison and reduced to only wearing a leg-exposing shift. Phwooar! And then at the very end, he pulls the shift completely down to expose his neck for the executioner and I couldn't help but notice he's still got a stunningly attractive chest. (I'm also a sucker for chests. Especially when they're furry.)
I've never been one to do the stage door thing. Part of it is being a self-effacing Canadian, part of it is the fear that I'll make a total fool of myself, part of it is the realization that I couldn't possibly say anything to an actor I admire that they haven't heard a million times before. But Martin Shaw is a special case, so egged on by
shayheyred, that charming temptress, we headed to the back of the theatre. I needn't have worried about making a fool of myself, because as it turns out, Martin doesn't do the stage door thing. But he does send out his dresser to deliver things to autograph, so I now have a signed copy of the play program. Which I shall treasure. Though it would have been a trip to tell Martin in person how very much I enjoyed the performance.As a consolation prize, we got to chat up the actor who played the Common Man, Tony Bell. He's a very good actor, very good in the play and seems a sweet sort of bloke. (After the first night's performance, we saw him hanging about looking at loose ends and I bet good money he would have gone out for a pint if we'd asked.)
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More on the rest of the trip, including a few more pics, in the next few days.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 01:09 pm (UTC)This is the Pros guy right? Man, he looks different.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 01:19 pm (UTC)And yeah, he's one of the lads from the Pros. (See icon.) He does look different, but every once in a while he'll turn his head a specific way or pull a certain face and suddenly he's Ray Doyle all over again. Sigh.
BTW, one of my scores in London was to pick up season 2 of Hustle, lest you think I've completely abandoned the UNCLE love.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 01:14 pm (UTC)Very, very hot! ::g::
no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 01:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 02:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 05:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 06:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 07:12 pm (UTC)I'd also be broke, but that's another story. ;)
no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 03:08 pm (UTC)And the stuff about integrity and Pros really made me think ... I've said before that I don't mind a slightly darker, Werewolves-type view of the characters, but nonetheless, that struggle with a certain sort of integrity is definitely there. They're might be a little crazy, but they're not craven or duplicitous. Hmmm. Not sure that makes sense, but it does in my head!
Anyway, this was really interesting! And that photo of the theater is wonderful....
no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 05:59 pm (UTC)I do agree with you, BTW, that even in Werewolves, the lads have a sort of integrity. They're brave men, however skewed their moral compass is.
I'll send you and Shay the full quality version of my pics.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 05:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 05:20 am (UTC)Right at the moment, as much as I love the film, and in spite of the fact that I just bought it last month on DVD, I'm sort of reluctant to watch it again. Because I want to keep Martin's performance in my head as long as possible.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 06:42 pm (UTC)Thank you! I've now seen Martin Shaw in many things besides The Professionals, and my admiration of him as an actor keeps growing.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 06:47 pm (UTC)Mind you, I still don't think I can ever watch Facelift. ::shudder::
no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 07:37 pm (UTC)...and damn, I should have invited Tony Bell for a pint. Sigh. Opportunities lost.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 05:10 am (UTC)Yeah, I totally think Tony Bell would have gone for a pint. Especially the first night. ('Course then we would have left poor
no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 08:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 05:15 am (UTC)If by the wistful actor you mean the lad we chatted up, heh. Not really the same physical type (he was a not overly tall, stocky, curly-haired bloke) but I can see what you mean on the wistful side. (And can I just say how much I love Murph? Though not to slash with B & D.)
no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 08:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 08:34 am (UTC)Murphy may only get in the way if he promptly gets out of the way again when the lads finally work it all out.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 08:47 am (UTC)palely loitering indeed... *g*
no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 11:41 pm (UTC)His face looks really thin in your icon vs. Judge John Deed. Was he?
no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 05:16 am (UTC)As for Martin looking thinner than JJD... hmmm, maybe. He's certainly in damn good shape.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 06:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 06:40 am (UTC)I have to say that I'm totally a fan of the More in the play. And I'm willing to cut him slack for working within a Tudor court where R III pretty much had to be discredited.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 06:42 am (UTC)All the articles I've seen of plays he's done in the past seem to attest to that.
I have to say that I'm totally a fan of the More in the play. And I'm willing to cut him slack for working within a Tudor court where R III pretty much had to be discredited.
I think I'm too emotionally involved to take that route. For me, along with Shakespeare, More is not much more than a Tudor hack...which tends to lessen any admiration I might have had for him and his "standing on his principles" since it didn't seem to apply to everything. But, like I said, I'm willing to put up with it for Martin's sake. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 10:11 am (UTC)Yeah, third row was *nice*... ;-) I was thrilled at the open shirt thing and I do distinctly remember leg-watching quite a bit. Where I was sitting I had a lot of times where his crossed legs were more in view than the rest of him.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-05 12:29 pm (UTC)Fifth row was nice, though part of me wishes I'd gone a bit closer. (The raging fangirl inside me was screaming to get second row; the theatre buff overruled her, going with the advice of the nice bloke at the theatre box office, and went for the more reasonable fifth row. Still, sometime unreasonable is fun.)