16 – 25 January
New production of A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS opens at Theatre Royal Bath.
The curtain rises on the Theatre Royal’s Spring Season as a new stage production of A Man For All Seasons opens in Bath, starring Martin Shaw (Judge John Deed, Inspector George Gently), Gary Wilmot (Anything Goes, Wicked in West End), Edward Bennett (SAS Rogue Heroes, Bridgerton), Abigail Cruttenden (The Theory of Everything, Munich: The Edge of War) and Timothy Watson (The Archers).
The greatest, most powerful and dangerous figures who shaped English history are brought vividly to life in Robert Bolt’s multi award-winning play. Directed by Jonathan Church, A Man For All Seasons appears at the Theatre Royal Bath from Thursday 16th to Saturday 25th January prior to a UK tour.
Sir Thomas More – scholar, ambassador, Lord Chancellor and friend to King Henry VIII – above all, a man of integrity, loved by the common people and his own family. When Henry demands a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, clearing the way for him to marry Anne Boleyn, the staunchly Catholic Thomas is forced to choose between his loyalty and his own conscience, committing an incredible act of defiance for which he eventually pays the ultimate price.
One of the UK’s best-loved actors on stage and screen, Martin Shaw stars as Sir Thomas More. Known to millions of television viewers for his screen roles in Judge John Deed, Inspector George Gently and The Professionals, his many West End appearances include Twelve Angry Men, as well as Hobson’s Choice and The Best Man, which played Bath in 2016 and 2017. His recent stage credits include Alone Together, The Cherry Orchard and Love Letters. His last performance on stage in Bath was in Gaslight in 2019; one of eight previous productions he has starred in at the Theatre Royal over the past thirty-five years.
Gary Wilmot stars as The Common Man. As one of the UK’s best-loved entertainers, he has starred in iconic West End roles in shows including Wicked, Anything Goes, Me & My Girl, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. A household name since the 1990s when he presented the BBC’s Showstoppers series, Gary’s many screen credits also include Copy Cats, Cue Gary, The Grinch Musical! and Fireman Sam as the voice of Trevor Evans. Amongst his seven previous visits to the Theatre Royal since 1986, he last played Bath in Oklahoma! in 2015.
Leading actor of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Edward Bennett plays Thomas Cromwell. His stage credits include major productions of Hamlet, Love’s Labour’s Lost, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth. His previous performances at the Theatre Royal Bath include four productions with The Peter Hall Company across 2006 and 2007; The School for Scandal in the Theatre Royal’s 2012 Summer Season; Things We Do For Love in 2014 and Betrayal in 2020. His recent screen credits include SAS Rogue Heroes, Bridgerton, Joan, Franklin and Cobra.
Abigail Cruttenden plays Alice More. Well known on television as Anna in BBC’s Not Going Out, she has also appeared in Showtrail, Sharpe, Benidorm and The Robinsons. Her film credits include Hideous Kinky, Jane Eyre, The Theory of Everything, Munich: The Edge of War and Portraits of Dangerous Women. Previously at the Theatre Royal Bath, Abigail has starred in You Never Can Tell in 1987, The Cherry Orchard in 1991, Hayfever in 1992 and The Seagull in 2013.
Nicholas Day, who plays Cardinal Wolsey, has enjoyed a long career on stage and screen. He is perhaps best known on television for his roles in ITV’s Minder and BBC’s New Tricks and Goodnight Sweetheart. He played Bath last in An Inspector Calls in 2003 and 2005, followed by The Country Girl in 2010. The role of Henry VIII is played by Orlando James, whose screen credits include Doctor Who and Chloe. He has previously performed at the Theatre Royal Bath in The Madness of George III in 2011, prior to a West End transfer; Another Country in 2013, ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore in 2014 and The Winter’s Tale in 2017.
Timothy Watson, who plays Norfolk, was the villainous Rob Titchener in more than 330 episodes of Radio 4’s The Archers. His screen credits include Man and Boy, EastEnders, Footballers Wives, Peak Practice and Mr Selfridge. On stage he has performed at the National Theatre, in the West End, and previously at the Theatre Royal Bath in Whipping it Up and Bedroom Farce in 2007, The Winslow Boy in 2018 and Murder On The Orient Express in 2022.
Completing the cast are Calum Finlay as Richard Rich, Hari Kang as Attendant to Signor Chapuys, Asif Khan as Signor Chapuys, Annie Kingsnorth as Margaret More, Sam Parks as Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, Sam Phillips as William Roper with Louisa Sexton, Huw Brentall and Andrew McDonald.
Director Jonathan Church’s extensive credits include a ten-year period as artistic director of Chichester Festival Theatre. He last directed Martin Shaw in the acclaimed West End transfer of Hobson’s Choice. The creative team also features Simon Higlett (Set and Costume Designer), Mark Henderson (Lighting Designer), Paul Groothuis (Sound Designer), Matthew Scott (Composer) and Gabrielle Dawes (Casting Director).
Playwright Robert Bolt (1924 – 1995) hailed from Cheshire. He was a teacher at Somerset’s Millfield School before becoming a full-time writer at the age of 33, following the success of his 1957 play, Flowering Cherry, staged in London starring Celia Johnson and Ralph Richardson. He wrote a number of plays for BBC Radio in the 1950s, including an early version of A Man For All Seasons in 1954. Later developed into a stage play, it was first seen in the West End in 1960 prior to a Broadway transfer. Paul Scofield and Leo McKern, who performed in the London premiere, reprised their roles in the 1966 film adaptation, starring alongside John Hurt, Corin Redgrave, Vanessa Redgrave, Robert Shaw, Orson Wells and Susannah Yorke, directed by Fred Zinnemann. A Man For All Seasons won six Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and seven BAFTAs, including Best Screenplay on all three occasions for Robert Bolt. He also wrote the screenplays for David Lean’s films Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965) and Ryan’s Daughter (1970), as well as The Bounty (1984) and The Mission (1986).
The 2025 tour of A Man For All Seasons, produced by Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Jonathan Church Theatre Productions, opens in Bath before touring to Chichester, Malvern, Cheltenham, Oxford, Guildford, Canterbury and Richmond.
A Man For All Seasons appears at Theatre Royal Bath from Thursday 16th to Saturday 25th January. To book tickets contact the Theatre Royal Box Office on 01225 448844 or visit theatreroyal.org.uk
Photo credit: Seamus Ryan
This listing appears on our front page until 11:55pm on Saturday January 25th, 2025
