Martin Shaw and Gary Wilmot may seem like a highly unlikely pairing, but the TV stars put bums on seats at York’s Grand Opera House for a fine rendition of A Man For All Seasons on Tuesday evening.

By Miles Salter

Photos by Simon Annand

Robert Bolt’s 1960 play charts the undoing of Thomas More as he refuses to endorse Henry VIII’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon and the establishment of the Church of England. Shaw (playing Thomas More) is the handsome man behind The Professionals, Judge John Deed and more. Wilmot is the cheeky chappy of yesteryear’s light entertainment TV shows. He’s now bald but retains the trademark grin that can win over an audience. His character is ‘The Common Man’, a shape-shifting comedic turn who lightens the treacherous load and appears variously as assistant, landlord and jailor. 

Shaw gives us that rare thing – a decent politician. He is a principled man who prays every morning and cannot bring himself to align with Henry VIII’s selfishness. Henry, played by Huw Brentnall, appears in only one scene, but his spoilt child demeanour and potential ruthlessness shine through. (The king would go on to cause England’s most heinous act of vandalism, destroying multiple Catholic Abbeys and plundering their money.) The play, which was first staged in 1960, compresses six years into two hours: 1529 to 1635. More loses his role as Lord Chancellor, and his privileges; his family protest that he should give up the fight. Up against the cunning of Henry’s fixer, Thomas Cromwell, More is overwhelmed; in the end he can’t compete with the powers that are determined to see him go. How the mighty fall; by the end he is a prisoner, questioned to exhaustion. The excellent set by Simon Higlett changes from palatial surroundings to dingy gaol and is aided by Mark Henderson’s equally effective lighting.

What struck me most about this play was how it stood in contrast to most shows people now see. It’s not a song and dance affair, isn’t mawkish, doesn’t dwell in common parlance or novelty and is text heavy. Bolt’s script, arguably the star, demands a high level of concentration – not helped by the actors speaking without any amplification, a tall order in a venue as large as the Opera House. On this level, an ageing Martin Shaw struggled – his voice was weak in comparison to the others, although he embodied More’s courage and dignity. More was as good as gold – but was he too good? Thomas Cromwell, played to a very high standard by Edward Bennett, had a character that was more intriguing to the audience, with an English talent for plotting and spying, a touch of sadism, and moments of humour. (There is also a hint that Cromwell will eventually meet his own demise, which indeed happened.) This is a play that asks for commitment from the audience. The York crowd, many of them 60 or over, rose to the challenge, and enjoyed it. But sadly, I do wonder if A Man For All Seasons will return to theatres in twenty years from now. I’m glad I saw it when I had the chance. 

Miles Salter is a writer and musician based in York. He leads the band Miles and The Chain Gang.

A Man For All Seasons is being performed at the Grand Opera House, York until 2 August 2025.