Wolf Hall Parts 1 and 2 NYC Reviews and Tickets

"For the tastiest dish in town, you need to visit the Tudors of 'Wolf Hall,' the riveting two-part theater drama...The stage version is strictly for fun. That may sound like a weak recommendation to those who wear their brows high. But being fun in period costume for nearly five-and-a-half hours of live theater is no mean achievement. This was my third visit to 'Wolf Hall' and I found myself just as much in its thrall, and even more admiring of its accomplishment."
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"The Royal Shakespeare Company’s triumphant, blockbuster adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Tudor-history novels...as much as the fact-crammed pageantry of 'Wolf Hall' maintains admirable clarity and pacing, it often lacks the sudden burst of lyricism or philosophical depth you find in the Bard. I’d have taken more poetry over plot... Still, as a fast-paced political thriller, it is fiendishly engaging."
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"Part 1 begins with a dance: a court entertainment that introduces some of the major players and themes. The ensuing drama, directed by Jeremy Herrin as tautly as possible, is interspersed with jousts, hunts, investitures, pantos, and — especially in part two — executions...For all its insights, this is not the kind of play that offers much psychology...The stage production is more of a pageant, visually beautiful but a little flat...mostly what we have is an extremely elegant Tudor soap opera."
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"Majestic in scope if slightly reductive in execution...While it might fall short of the pantheon of all-time great stage events, 'Wolf Hall' is nonetheless an impressive feat, a compelling drama played out across the canvas of a nation soaked in rain and mud and blood...This version might be simplified and light on psychology, it's accessible and consistently engrossing."
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"It’s worth every minute...The Royal Shakespeare Company’s outstanding production does justice to the revered Hilary Mantel novels while also offering its own intriguing spin on the oft-retold historical drama...'Wolf Hall' is remarkably efficient in streamlining the Mantel novels down to their most exciting essence, making the play’s pace seem much swifter than six hours. The immensely talented actors manage to make every backroom deal, courtier spat, and royal tantrum fully enjoyable."
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"There’s nothing bookish about the highly theatrical approach taken in director Jeremy Herrin’s lucidly told, handsomely staged and emotionally charged production. In fact, it’s not bookish enough...Just when you expect the drama to move into deeper and darker political territory, it shrivels up and becomes what a lot of American kids took away from high-school history class — the salacious story of a horny king who chopped off his wives’ heads whenever he wanted a new bride."
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"I haven’t read either of the much-praised novels, nor am I a scholar of 16th-century England. I can, however, assure you that Mr. Poulton’s 51/2 -hour stage version of “Wolf Hall,” is competent but dullish, a procession of short, choppy scenes in which nobody ever says anything more memorable than “Bring up the bodies!” The acting is as devoid of sparkle as the script...“Wolf Hall” is not without merit...But stick it out to the end and you’ll likely wish you’d rented “A Man for All Seasons” instead."
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"The bad news is that the two plays that make up “Wolf Hall” will set you back six hours. Even worse is that they feel even longer. It’s amazing that a story jampacked with lust, betrayal, greed and violence can be so...dull. As well-acted, grandly staged and beautifully lit as it is, the show still manages to be tedious...That said, director Jeremy Herrin’s production looks smashing, especially the vast, mostly empty stage, framed by giant, brutalist-style concrete walls."
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"The plays retrace 1500s political intrigue in Henry’s house of cards. The English history comes alive with crisp and plainspoken urgency. Jeremy Herrin directs a crackerjack cast from the Royal Shakespeare Company in a spare production... The pacing drags a bit because we’re awaiting the twist we know is coming. And the show could stand to fire more emotions. But this excellent ensemble shines."
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"Although full of intrigue and cruel twists of fate, 'Wolf Hall' is a stiff, step-by-step, plodding march through English history, leaving little space for character development. One-liners and broad jokes have been added in that inappropriately contradict the ominous tone. 'Wolf Hall' is incomplete as a narrative. Perhaps they should have waited for Mantel to finish all of her books before doing this onstage."
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"'Wolf Hall' is a magnificent undertaking, as expansive as it is lean. It is history brought to pulsing, highly animated life...The play's creative team deserves high praise as we're left wanting more, even after nearly six hours covering some 1200 pages. We are only introduced to three of Henry's six wives in these plays. I cannot wait for this excellent troupe to bring up the other three!"
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"This reworking is much less effective onstage than it was in the novel...Regardless, there is good reason to rejoice. The company assembled here is a joy to watch, and the number of riveting performances given in Wolf Hall is off the charts. The staging by Jeremy Herrin is exceptionally good...The excellent first part of Wolf Hall hurtles by; those attending a double performance should finish your meal with a strong cup of coffee before you head back to the theatre for round two."
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"Poulton has packed as many incidents from the novels as possible into his adaptations, compressing the events into an accessible narrative that moves rapidly yet keeps you involved in what could easily be a confusing mélange of characters and events...Sitting through these event-filled plays over the course of a long day can be a bit of a slog. But when it’s over, you’ll remember them for their high-quality theatrics, and their ability to make history (fictionalized as it may be) both real and relevant."
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"I realized that Part 1 was a shocking experience for me. But what shocked me was how dull I found it. After 30 scenes over nearly three hours, with the 23-member cast portraying some 40 characters who mostly just talk a lot, I was longing for a beheading or two...I found Part 2 only minimally more satisfying...There is no substitute for sharing the same air with a company of capable actors. But some adaptations simply work better than others."
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"These are flexible, actable, entertaining and serious plays, almost always very smart, hardly ever simply worthy. Jeremy Herrin keeps the action coming fast. The acting is lithe and purposeful...I suspect nearly all of us will be back in these seats in a few years time, eager to see – 500-year-old spoiler alert – the bloody conclusion."
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"There's a rip-roaring, malevolently Machiavellian, viciously nasty, blood-letting saga of intrigue and incest on view just now. The cornucopian epic can be found at Broadway's Winter Garden, where the Royal Shakespeare Company's impressively adventurous production of Hilary Mantel's 'Wolf Hall' has set up shop...The RSC 'Wolf Hall' offers an evening--or, rather, two evenings--of live, inventively rousing theatricality."
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"Well worth the six-hour investment...The swirl of characters and incidents is so intense that watching 'Wolf Hall' turns theatergoing into grandiose scorekeeping...That shift of power from Henry to Cromwell is when 'Wolf Hall' genuinely begins to fascinate, and it continues to fascinate well into 'Bring Up the Bodies'...in this age of 90-minute two-handers, who can complain about watching 23 talented actors being expertly traffic-directed?"
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"This prestige event of the Broadway season offers straightforward storytelling, finely wrought performances and yards upon yards of magnificent 16th century costumes... Despite the feral titles, the plays offer more steady elegance than wild passion...It is hard not to wish for something deeper from all those hours onstage."
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"The story is vividly, precisely and – particularly in the first part – briskly told, with bursts of unexpected humor...Working with a large, opulently costumed cast, director Jeremy Herrin has superbly theatricalized the storytelling, blending one scene rapidly into the next. You might know where the journey's headed, but the trip is engrossing."
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"The Royal Shakespeare Company's stunning, addictive and clever adaptation. After six hours of "Part One" and "Part Two," there were impatient people leaving the Winter Garden Theatre waiting for "Part Three."...Adapted by Mike Poulton, the two parts are connected by modern English, gallows humor, ghosts who chat with the living and by everyone complaining about the rain. One part alone stands by itself but this adaptation is like a bag of chips. Can you stop with just one?"
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"Particularly fresh in this adaptation are most of the characters, seen from Cromwell”s perspective...If you are a fan, you will enjoy the chats about England’s history taking place in and around the theater. If you aren’t up on the history of this period, you might become very confused."
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"Although the two shows are historically accurate and director Jeremy Herrin keeps the action moving fluidly, we leave the theater expecting more from the Royal Shakespeare Company... Unfortunately, as ambitious as 'Wolf Hall' is because it is such an epic, and despite its accessibility, it is ultimately mediocre... Some fans of the travails of the British monarchy from past to present may feel they have learned nothing new after sitting through this entertaining but curiously unsatisfying marathon."
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"At its best, this version carries you along like the trashiest soap...Thank goodness that 'Wolf Hall' sustains that suspenseful, brisk pace for much of its long running time. Those moments when the pace slackens are truly dangerous, as one may be lulled into an exhausted sleep...The material seems more suited to the kind of context that long-form television is much better at providing. So, recommended, but by no means essential theater-going."
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"So much must be explained that the play can feel too close to a timeline, with much of its first act spent dealing with exposition...'Part Two: Bring Up the Bodies' is far more successful in portraying the political intrigue and its multifaceted characters."
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"Ripping, juicy, two-part, five-and-a-half-hour adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s bestselling novels of Tudor-era intrigue... For sex, betrayal, revenge, murder, political gamesmanship, and melodramatic reversals of fortune, House of Cards has nothing on these plays...These productions winnow the books’ surfeit of characters, locales, and twisty plot lines into a propulsive, riveting afternoon and evening of theater...gripping, entertaining, and deeply satisfying."
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"Luckily, given the high importance placed here on words, Poulton and Mantel excel at quick, biting exchanges...'Wolf Hall' is not an easy play. It does not give its audience easy answers, or allow us to surrender the responsibility of thought and judgment. But it is a good play, a troubling one, and one that anyone who has ever questioned the past would do well to see."
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"A bright, bustling political soap opera that condenses more than a thousand pages of fiction into two plays and a brisk six hours of stage time... The Cromwell plays are more a triumph of condensation than of the imagination. But there is enthralling theatrical energy within this efficiency...Their storytelling momentum builds into a gallop that irresistibly pulls us along."
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"Director Jeremy Herrin’s six-hour marathon of bed-hopping, back-stabbing Tudor tyranny opens like 'House of Cards' and ends like 'Game of Thrones'. Heavy on dialogue and low on technical trickery, the treatment is fairly straight and conservative, but full of quality craftsmanship throughout...After a light first half, this masterful six-hour banquet ends with a highly satisfying main course."
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"The fiercely intelligent result is like 'The Tudors' rewritten by Aaron Sorkin with added ruthlessness...There are a few flaccid passages that could do with trimming but, for the most part the stakes remain high and audiences engaged by the interstices of plots and counterplots too embroiled to enumerate here...The entire Stratford-upon-Avon run, sold out prior to opening, has met with rave local reviews."
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"Mike Poulton's adaptation hurtles through six years at the Court of St James in three hours of plotting and politicking. Like all the best historical fiction, it animates the familiar portraits and makes these names and faces human again, vulnerable and virtuous before our very eyes...Mr Miles may well gather a clutch of awards to rival Ms Mantel's, so good is he in making us love and fear Cromwell - as so many once did."
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While story translates smoothly – some unavoidable streamlining aside – the rich, immersive world of Mantel’s novels is not so easily adapted...Although the adaptors have done well in preserving much of Mantel’s narrative and wit, the same cannot always be said for her nuance...At times, thanks to the continuing cultural ubiquity of the Tudors, it feels as though an audience are being offered bonus points for historical knowledge and the smug advantage of hindsight."
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"Watching the two plays together over a span of six hours is an occasionally exhausting but mostly exhilarating experience... the success lies in the fact that we feel this is both a piece of living history and a guide to the early modern world...While they can't precisely reproduce the dream-like richness of Mantel's prose, they show that novels can sometimes be made into very good plays."
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"With director Jeremy Herrin’s help, Poulton makes Mantel’s mass of subplots and secondary characters sing...The two plays do stand alone – indeed, ‘Bring Up the Bodies’ probably works a tad better thanks to a more digestible plot – but the build and momentum is very much that of one lengthy show. Do yourself a favour: book the day off and see both together, so you can journey all the way into this heart of English darkness."
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"One hesitates to use the phrase 'a marriage made in heaven' in the vicinity of Henry VIII but that would be a fair way of describing this brilliant union between the RSC and Hilary Mantel...The marathon began at 1pm and, after a dinner break, concluded at 10pm. But such is the dramatic skill of the adaptation and the unflagging power and fascination of the fleet, incisively acted production that, if the final instalment of the trilogy had been turned into a play, I would gladly have stayed up all night."
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"A rewarding epic in which we see the court of King Henry VIII in all its glory and ruthlessness...The staging is fluent and mostly very simple; there’s a lot to get through, and the approach taken is to keep obstructions to a minimum. The politically charged conversations can be lengthy, but there’s always a buzz of brisk physicality. The result is meaty, intelligent drama...What could feel like a dusty history lesson instead seems a miracle of compression."
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"Pleasingly, this first play is worthy of that company's imprimatur, with the depth of intrigue and characterisation that one expects from the Bard's own history plays... While the subject matter is indubitably serious, Wolf Hall contains a surprising amount of levity and humour to speed away the three-hour running time... While the play and novel are self-contained, they end suitably enigmatically, leaving viewers intrigued and wanting more, which is just as well."
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"Mike Poulton’s adaptations are masterly... The only appreciable flaw in this diptych is that it is inescapably a diptych... However assiduously Poulton and Herrin strive to make each part autonomous... the more vital it becomes to see both plays for the full picture... Taken together, they serve as an inspiring contemporary analogue of Shakespearean history plays at their best– some way better than his own Henry VIII."
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"The Royal Shakespeare Company’s exhilarating production continues to enchant, entertain and enlighten...It’s an unrivalled spectacle of theatrical ingenuity...Go. Just go."
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"This one is done superbly. With Miss Mantel’s novels each as fat as a brick, script-writer Mike Poulton pulls off a remarkable act of compression. He manages to explain a heck of a lot of background in the early stages... What saves it from becoming a history lesson is the magnetic central character of Thomas Cromwell... We lose some of the gastronomic colour in Mantel and Cromwell’s tragic home life is lost to pressures of time. But the essentials of the 16th century power tussle are here."
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"As we range through the fall of Wolsey, Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn and all the bitterness, bad faith, dodgy confessions and executions that follow these two three-hour plays do sometimes feel like one damn thing after another... Nevertheless Jeremy Herrin’s fleet staging, with gorgeous costumes and a raft of strong supporting performances grips almost throughout...Despite occasional longueurs, this Tudor double-bill is at best splendidly entertaining and at times deeply touching."
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"This is event theatre of the highest brow...On a set of utter simplicity with minimal props the huge cast evoke the court of Henry VIII with some brilliance. Properly attired in period costume there isn't a weak link...If the first play suffers from lack of action the second gives us more drama...Historical drama of the highest calibre."
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"The RSC's 'Wolf Hall' not only brought history to life but it gave it personality...This feels like a character piece wrapped up in a important piece of history and it works really, really well. I was gripped, charmed and amused."
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"Herrin may be a little less successful in keeping the large cast of characters clear in our minds. But if by the end of the second play you're not quite sure who those guys being executed are and exactly what they did back in the first play to make Cromwell particularly eager to get them, it hardly matters. The broad sweep of history is clear, and the personalities invented for the principle players are believable, interesting and entertaining. And that's what historical novels and historical plays are for."
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"'Wolf Hall' and its companion, 'Bring Up The Bodies', are astonishing and extraordinary pieces of theatre...It’s a cleverly constructed costume drama that presents history for accessible 21st century consumption...It’s an enthralling story with twists and turns that will have you on the edge of your seat."
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"Taut, subtle, gripping, and expert...The jokes are just one of the masterful touches in this excellent stage adaptation by Mike Poulton, who excises carefully, leaving in as much of the nuanced, terrifying, and, of course, hilarious aspects of the brilliantly complex novel as two hours and 50 minutes will allow...The RSC’s production is a triumph. It is a tightly plotted, expertly paced, marvellously funny, and cleverly performed play. An unfettered joy from start to finish."
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"One of the joys of 'Wolf Hall' (and again in 'Bring Up The Bodies') is that Mantel takes a story we presume to know so well, seizing it back from the history books and injecting it with soul and humanity...Theatre can be gut-wrenchingly emotional, even life-changing, and sometimes it’s just brilliant storytelling. 'Wolf Hall' and 'Bring Up The Bodies' are just that, engrossing theatre with impressive, compelling performances that pull you into brilliant story."
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"In 'Wolf Hall' we see historical drama interpreted brilliantly, each character well drawn and endowed with personality and insight...Writer Mike Poulton and director Jeremy Herrin manage the rather neat trick of an adaptation from a historical novel that A) is fantastic theatre and B) provides a perceptive comment on modern issues as well...Played with brio and panache, historical drama doesn’t really get much better."
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"After so much to admire, it might feel slightly confusing as to why this is not a 5 star review. The story we are being shown (so masterfully) is one that the audience knows well, and consequently our engagement in the fate of the participants in going to be diminished. Without a doubt, this is a very good production of an excellent script. Given that the entire run is nearly sold out, it is clear that there is plenty of others who share my passion for all things Tudor. They will not be disappointed."
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"What struck me from the outset was how funny this production was. With the knowledge of the amount of arrests, executions, rivalries and back-stabbings that occurred during this time period, I did not expect Wolf Hall to make me laugh out loud as much as it did...Although 'Wolf Hall' is over three hours long, at no point did I feel this production was dragging at all. Every scene had a purpose and helped build momentum to the finale."
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"While the writing is witty, and the acting excellent, the story seemed cold and distant. It was as though it were merely checking off a series of essential scenes rather than telling a story...the narrative of 'Bring Up the Bodies' was tighter and more coherent...One needs to see these not as two separate plays, but as two parts of the same play...While 'Wolf Hall' disappointed me, 'Bring Up the Bodies' was excellent."
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"I have never been as rapt in a theatre as I was during these two plays...Poulton and Mantel have done the seemingly impossible and transformed two brilliant but challenging novels into utterly compelling drama that will surely be showered with awards."
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"The much-heralded stage adaptation is an event to treasure...I'd be amazed if such a great new work, bubbling with so much energy and quality, is not transferred to London."
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"We all know the story; what we didn’t know was how rich this interpretation could be...It grasps the theatrical essence of life in the Tudor court which culminates in a charming, witty and downright rousing piece of theatre...Towards the end of the play the dialogue takes a turn, and it’s heart rate-raising stuff. Animated, intense and sexually charged, Wolf Hall is everything it had the potential to be and more."
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"Six hours pass very easily....Anyone who loved the novels will not be disappointed by the plays; what is inevitably lost in the translation is more than compensated for by the fast-moving action, enthralling dialogue and above all by brilliant characterisations. And those who have yet to encounter Hilary Mantel’s creation in its original form will surely be seduced by Mike Poulton’s adaptations. You have a real treat in store."
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"This historically precise and humorous take is as riveting as theatre gets...Expect to laugh throughout, with most jokes arising from the many ironies of knowing what future holds for these characters. Yet the plays are delivered in such a way that anyone who knows nothing of Cromwell or Tudor history will find them just as appealing."
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"Those who have read the novel will lament the loss of sections that had to be missed out. However, the storytelling is smooth and innovative, the quickened pace lending the production urgency and dynamism...Despite a difficult acoustic in the Aldwych Theatre, which makes it very hard work for the actors to be heard at all times, the performances are excellent."
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Overall, this is a solid piece and very typical of the West End – it is well made, tightly performed and fairly creative. It is not that exciting and you may get a bit sleepy in the dark atmosphere but it is an enjoyable enough night...I was not entranced during this production but I was fairly impressed and learned a lot. Shame it wasn’t more captivating but I could tell that all involved tried hard."
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"Mike Poulton is true to the spirit of the books and brilliantly captures the tensions and conspiracies lurking in the halls of power...A winner from start to finish."
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"In a new spry new adaptation, 'Wolf Hall' graces the Swan’s three-sided thrust stage in a vivid, swirling historical Tudor pageant...Pacey and humorous, you have to listen carefully as time scales and personalities elide and rush into each other, scarcely leaving time for much consideration. If you don’t know your history, you’ll be lost. But for most people, the story is well known."
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"It is a fast-paced play with a snapping script...immensely funny, even when sombre...All in all a fascinating insight into English history, into political intrigue and power play. This Tudor court is one I wouldn’t mind staying at for longer"
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"Mike Poulton was brought in to adapt the novel and has done a very good job...I did sometimes feel that the events rushed by at such breakneck speed that there was little time for emotions to enter the fray. I enjoyed the evening but did feel that a lot of historical exposition had been handed out sometimes at the price of understanding Cromwell the man as opposed to the events around him."
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