April 17th and April 18th were “Wolf
Hall” days. If you don’t know yet, “Wolf Hall” is a British play now on
Broadway till July 5th. It consists of two parts. Each part is three
hours long with one 15 minute intermission. As you can surmise, it is two plays
in one. And the play is about the court of Henry VIII (Nathaniel Parker) told
through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell (Ben Miles), a lawyer. It was adapted by
Mike Poulton from two best-selling historical-drama novels (“Wolf Hall” and
“Bring Up the Bodies”) that were written by Hilary Mantel.
On April 17th, I attended Q&A session called
“Conversations on Broadway: Wolf Hall” organized by SAG Foundation and taken
place at the New School. (Attendance was allowed only to SAG members.)
Questions were answered by three stars of the show Nathaniel Parker (“Henry
VIII”), Lydia Leonard (“Anne Boleyn”), and Ben Miles (“Thomas Cromwell”). The discussion was very lively and interesting
as the stars answered on their beginnings as actors and on their experience working
on “Wolf Hall”.
During this Q&A, three comments stood out for me. First,
actors mentioned how closely they worked with Hilary Mantel. She was with the
production from the beginning. She answered on each actor’s questions in
detail. In addition, to every actor in a troupe, she gave written detailed
notes for their respective character. Moreover, she also pointed out the
nuances of the characters during rehearsals if actors needed additional
clarifications. Overall, Nathaniel, Lydia, and Ben agreed that they were lucky
to have Hilary with them because not many original writers would take the time
and talk with actors about the story. (Especially those who are alive.) After
all, she also had to write the concluding book of this story (“The Mirror and
the Light”).
The second interesting point was that the director (Jeremy
Herrin) worked with actors and not against them. The collaboration between the
actors and Jeremy was fluid. They were one company that tried to bring a new
feel to the Tudors’ famous story. There wasn’t a one man’s vision. Jeremy
incorporated everyone’s point of view into this vision. In fact, while watching
the show, I felt actors’ closeness to each other. I felt the closeness that
actors and the director had with each other. Every single movement around the
stage, ever word spoken, and lightning worked seamlessly because every troupe’s
member contributed and whose voice was heard while putting this story on stage.
And the leads acknowledged that such close work with this director is rare but
very welcomed. After all, because Jeremy is comedian and actor himself, he knew
what actors wanted and listened to them. His remarks were on point when they
were necessary. The comments were a bit sarcastic and made working on the play
easier and more enjoyable since the story is so complex. He was the right
director for this production.
Last, but not least point, was how Ben Miles prepared for
his character. Of course, all actors used an interesting method like going to
locations that were habituated by real historical figures to prepare for the
roles. However, Ben made notes on his character on notecards. He placed them
all around the room in many layers and connected them: words to scenes and
scenes to words. I do believe it helped him since he was on stage the most of the
time and had the most words to say either in monologue or dialogue forms. In
addition, this strategy helped him to understand the character better and to
connect with him.
Given such a great conversation event, on Saturday, April 18, my friend and I went through this six-hour ‘marathon’. We sat in the Mezzanine area of the Winter Garden Theater. The view was terrific. It wasn’t great but could’ve been worse. We saw the whole stage comfortably and the actors’ performances. We had a hard time seeing their faces clearly, but, at least, I saw them and their inner and outer artistic performances that brought the characters to life as real and not as comical (“Twelfth Night”) or satiric (“Richard III”). I believed what I saw and that what made this play work, interesting, and engaging. By the way, the show didn’t feel like a real marathon. It was one play with continuous two parts. The show was dynamic and fluid, and I didn’t feel strained or bored too often. Of course, some moments in the second part were slow and monotonous, but actors still able to keep me and my fellow audience comrades attentive to the end.
In the whole play, three things again stood out for me. Firstly, I enjoyed the stage decorations and lightning. Similar to “Twelfth Night” and “Richard III” (performed by British Shakespeare Co.), “Wolf Hall” had minimal decorations. Decorators put up two walls in either side of the stage to show the atmosphere and locations of the period. All other decorations were chairs and tables. These chairs and tables showed houses, churches, prison, court, bedrooms, and even boats. Other decorations were a cross, fireplace in the wall, and fire coming out of the floor to create the right atmosphere and places.
And the other aspect of creating the right atmosphere was lighting. Sure, actors’ period style clothes were on the dot. However, lighting gave the stage and the play life, emotions, and believability. Lights showed morning and nights, swimming down the Thames, being in prison, and even a dead Archbishop. It was the unspoken character of the play, but the lighting designers do deserve credit and commendation for their hard work and being part of the vision.
Last, but not least, was performances. Like in “Twelfth Night” and “Richard III” actors performed splendidly. They worked seamlessly. They did not just perform, they lived. They embodied the characters that they were assigned to create and live on stage. Casting was correct. And actors’ hard work and dedication was superbly on display for the audience. Sure, Nathaniel Parker played Henry III a bit too big at times. But, hey, he played a king. I think it was allowable. Therefore, actors did not try to upstage each other. They worked together as a team on a ship going to their final destination to receive a standing ovation from the audience. Without their seamless and dynamic work, the play would have bombed. Of course, one of the components of the play that was missing was limited play by women. However, even their limited performances were powerful and enable to move story forward enjoyably.
In conclusion, I would say to you, dear reader, to go and see it for yourself. Experience something remarkable because this won’t come back in similar way ever again. It is money worth spending. Don’t care about your neighbors. Enjoy the play for what it is. Sure, it is about politics. However, if you want to see masters of their craft, then find that wherewithal and that adrenaline for the art. You will not be disappointed, and you will leave it inspired, breathless, and happy. Who knows maybe you will mention this play to your grandkids?
You want to see masters at play, then now is the time.
Here is the link to Goldstar to purchase discount tickets:
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