Stage adaptations of 'Wolf Hall' and 'Bring Up the Bodies' reportedly coming to Broadway
鈥淲olf Hall: Parts 1 & 2,鈥� the stage adaptation of Hilary Mantel鈥檚 critically acclaimed novels, will reportedly be coming to Broadway this spring.
The stage versions, known in London as 鈥淲olf Hall鈥� and 鈥淏ring Up the Bodies,鈥� were produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company in London and are currently playing in London鈥檚 West End until Oct. 4. They will be coming to Broadway for previews beginning on March 20, according to the , and opening night will be on April 9.
In addition, actor Ben Miles, who portrays Thomas Cromwell; Nathaniel Parker, who plays King Henry VIII; and Lydia Leonard, who plays the king鈥檚 second wife Anne Boleyn, will be coming to Broadway to reprise their parts, according to the NYT.
Because the shows are technically two productions, theatergoers can see them on the same day, with a break of a few hours in between, or go to each on different days.
The shows earned mostly positive reviews in London, with Mark Lawson of the noting that they 鈥渨ill not disappoint fans of modern political dramas such as House of Cards.鈥澛�
鈥淢antel and dramatist Mike Poulton and director Jeremy Herrin bring to the familiar tale of doomed wives and religious convulsion a thrilling originality of psychology and storytelling,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淓legantly compressing 1,246 pages of print into just over five and a half hours of stage time, the productions compellingly combine absolute dramatic clarity with tantalising historical ambiguity鈥� Among a uniformly thoughtful and inventive cast鈥� Nathaniel Parker's Henry switches instantly between charm, insecurity, and terrifying rage鈥� while Lydia Leonard's Anne is a sexual and theological schemer鈥� who later takes on true tragic force鈥� Crucially, Ben Miles, as Cromwell, is harder on the character than Mantel was. His Master Secretary, on stage almost throughout, is charismatic and attractive, but chilling in moments.鈥�
Stephen Dalton of the wrote that 鈥渢he treatment is fairly straight and conservative, but full of quality craftsmanship throughout鈥� Mike聽Poulton鈥檚 adaptations keep the language accessible and the political context lucid enough for a general audience. They are also surprisingly funny, with a more broadly comic tone than Mantel鈥檚 books鈥� Ben Miles聽gives a measured and sympathetic performance as Cromwell, though he's a little colorless for such a complex historical figure."聽
And critic David Benedict found the productions to be 鈥渟uperbly tense鈥� [they include] a magnetic and quietly extraordinary performance by聽, who, across six hours of masterly manipulation, dominates the 21-strong cast and never leaves the stage.鈥�
