PHOTO CREDIT GILLIAN ATACOCUGU
Black and White Productions present “Thomas Wolsey, the Rise and Fall”, by Suzanne Hawkes, on tour until April 22
This revival of Suzanne Hawkes’ engaging account of the life of Tudor success-story Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, once the most important man in England (save King Henry VIII) could not be better timed.
It coincides with the beginning of Ipswich’s 18-month celebration of Wolsey’s birth, 550 years ago (probably).
The son of an Ipswich butcher-cum-merchant-cum innkeeper, Wolsey was cushioned from his lowly birth by his uncle, Edmund Daundy, who paid for his education. It was money well-spent because Wolsey rose through the ranks of the church and the state to become Cardinal, and Lord Chancellor to the King. With the benefit of hindsight we know, of course, that those closest to Henry often fared badly and this was also true of Wolsey.
But along the way, he left Ipswich with the promise of a great college – only the gate remains of the school which his ally Thomas Cromwell endowed after Wolsey’s death. Ipswich School is its legacy.
In fact the late Dr John Blatchly, former headmaster of Ipswich School, historian and archivist helped with the first draft of Hawkes’ well-sourced, thought-provoking play.
So to the play. We meet, Wolsey’s parents, his fool Patch, his secretary and friend George Cavendish and, of course, Thomas Cromwell, who was sympathetic to Wolsey.
Hawkes does much to redress the balance of opinion about the cardinal. He was long vilified but this, you might think is largely down to contemporaneous writings that paid heed to the aristocrats of the day – and they really hated him for being a commoner and, when all is said and done, a pretty decent man. Henry VIII’s reign was not an era marked by its kindness.
The truly excellent Phil Cory is the adult Thomas Wolsey and Thomas Haig plays a blinder as George Cavendish. Steve Roche is a fine Cromwell and these three actors play well together in a number of scenes.
Sadly, women in history books (excepting Henry’s wives) tend to have minor roles but this production elevates Wolsey’s serving wench Bessie (Suzanne Hawkes is nicely comic), Wolsey’s mistress Jane Larke (Stephanie Stoddart) and Mary Boleyn (lovely French accent from Virginia Betts) to prominence. And Heather Prince as Alice, fares well as the Yorkshire narrator.
The music from Bill Stoddart, on lute, and Justine de Mierre, on treble recorder (who also plays Patch), evokes the period and the costumes, by Angela Silburn, are beautiful.
Through these well-drawn characters we come to understand the challenges that would have faced a young, middle-class boy as he rose through the ranks of society and tried hard to please his sovereign (and to always dine well); ultimately failing but not before he had forever stamped his name on to English history. He built Hampton Court; he founded an Oxford College… and he never forgot his home town of Ipswich.
LYNNE MORTIMER
Thomas Wolsey, the Rise and Fall is at St Peter and St Paul, Aldeburgh, April 15; St Peter and St Paul, Old Felixstowe, April 20; St Peter on the Waterfront, Ipswich, April 21 and St Mary’s Church, Bucklesham, April 22.
Felixstowe Spy 