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.
The acting is led by an indefatigable Ben Miles, whose Cromwell is watchful, patient and sardonic. We watch him maneuver through the alliances and court, protecting his king with skillful manipulations and even what could be considered inchoate press releases. Nathaniel Parker as Henry VIII is riveting, at times needy or smitten and at others very, very dangerous. Lydia Leonard plays her Boleyn as entitled and arrogant, making her fall all that more painful. Directed with blistering pace and guile by Jeremy Herrin, the Cromwell that emerges from these plays is less Machiavellian and more, well, superhero...The first part comes close to being force-fed history like a goose -- but in a good way -- via 30 scenes that change in a blink of an eye...In the second play, things slow down to a steady boil and Cromwell begins the tricky task of becoming a detective, gathering evidence to convict the queen...One part alone stands by itself but this adaptation is like a bag of chips. Can you stop with just one?
Indeed, aside from the Boleyn intrigue, which is handled fairly thoroughly, there's a little-bit-of-everything flavor to the proceedings. That makes sense, and I'm not sure you could find any other way to corral the material in Mantel's books unless you were willing to go for 60 hours instead of 6. Still, I found myself wondering whether newcomers to the period might guess from the play that anything else important happened while Cromwell was serving as Henry's marriage counselor. The dissolution of the monasteries, an event of huge significance, is mentioned briefly. The creation of the English Bible earns a line or two. But mostly what we have is an extremely elegant Tudor soap opera, the kind of 'event theater' that from time to time can fill a Winter Garden. It fits nicely with the three-course prix fixe 'English feast' dinner being offered to Wolf Hall patrons at the nearby Rock Center Café between plays. There you may choose among such menu offerings as Scotch egg, shepherd's pie, and bubble and squeak. Venison or pheasant would be more authentic, but who has the time?
2015 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Play | Ben Miles |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Christopher Oram |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Play | Jeremy Herrin |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Lydia Leonard |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design | David Plater |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design | Paule Constable |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Ben Miles |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Nathaniel Parker |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | Hilary Mantel |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Play | Ben Miles |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Christopher Oram |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Play | Jeremy Herrin |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Paul Jesson |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Nathaniel Parker |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Lydia Leonard |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Play | Wolf Hall |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Christopher Oram |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Jeremy Herrin |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Paule Constable |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | David Plater |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Nathaniel Parker |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Ben Miles |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Lydia Leonard |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Lydia Leonard |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | The Shubert Organization |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Mike Poulton |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | The Royal Shakespeare Company |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Will Trice |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Jessica Genick |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Georgia Gatti |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Gabrielle Palitz |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Triple Play Productions |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Kit Seidel |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Just for Laughs Theatricals |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Rebecca Gold |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Scott M. Delman |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Jane Bergere |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | WLE MSG |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Tulchin Bartner Productions |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Kyodo Tokyo, Inc. |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Ron Kastner |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | JAM Theatricals |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Carole Shorenstein Hays |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Playful Productions UK |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Nick Salmon |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Nia Janis |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Matthew Byam Shaw |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Jerry Frankel |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Jeffrey Richards |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Hilary Mantel |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Christopher Oram |
Videos