Friday, February 11, 2005 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

'Man's' Man

James Sutorius of 'Police Academy' and 'M*A*S*H' fame stars in 'A Man For All Seasons'

From left, Michael Tylo plays the Duke of Norfolk, James Sutorius is Sir Thomas More and Melanie Ash is Lady Margaret More in the UNLV theater department's production of "A Man For All Seasons." Photo by Ralph Fountain.

A Man For All Seasons" is one of the best constructed, best written plays in the English language.

So why is it seldom produced in the United States? Even University of Nevada, Las Vegas theater director Robert Brewer doesn't know for sure, and he's taking on the Nevada Conservatory Theatre production of the Robert Bolt play, opening tonight in the Judy Bayley Theatre.

Maybe it's the language, which is almost Shakespearean in its richness. Or perhaps it's the expensive sets and costumes.

"It's won every major award," Brewer said. "I don't know why it's not been revived. I saw it years ago on Broadway, and it's one of my favorites. But you have to do it with a great cast, you have to have home-run hitters."

So Brewer went for a veteran cast of Equity actors including James Sutorius as Thomas More, G. W. Bailey as the Common Man and Michael Tylo as the Duke of Norfolk.

Sutorius has performed in countless television shows, including "CSI," "ER," "The X-Files" and "Chicago Hope," but he also has an extensive resume in the theater, having played Valmont in "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" at the Pasadena Playhouse and Leonato in "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Shakespeare Festival in Los Angeles. He also counts Macbeth and Hamlet among his roles.

But he says the role of Thomas More has been a dream part.

He was grabbed by "the language," he said. "It's so beautiful, it comes out of your mouth so right and so real. Plus, what the story's about."

When Henry VIII became heir to the British throne, the pope made special dispensation for him to marry his brother's widow, Catherine, the Spanish princess. But Catherine failed to produce a male heir, so Henry wanted the marriage nullified. He claimed it violated Christian law for a man to marry his brother's widow. More, who was Lord Chancellor, resigned his post in 1532 because he opposed the plan.

Henry then established the Church of England, separate from the Roman Catholic Church, and made himself head of the church. In 1533, Henry crowned his new wife, Anne Boleyn, queen.

Two years later, the Act of Succession required everyone to take an oath acknowledging the issue of Henry and Anne as legitimate heirs to the throne with a clause repudiating "any foreign authority, prince or potentate."

More refused to take the oath and was sent to the Tower and indicted for treason.

While rehearsing the play, Sutorius said he went to the nearby St. Thomas More Catholic Community and "spent time alone in the church talking to Thomas More. There's something wonderful about doing More in Vegas. It's a wonderful juxtaposition. I never would have thought of doing More here."

Brewer and Sutorius worked together about 30 years ago at the Arizona Theatre Company, with Brewer directing the actor in "The Devil's Disciple."

After a mutual friend ran into Sutorius in Los Angeles one day, Brewer contacted him and told him he was casting "A Man For All Seasons."

"When I got down the list to More, he said, `Stop right there. I'll do it,' " Brewer recalled.

For the rest of the cast, Brewer turned to some other veterans. Bailey, known as Lt. Harris in the "Police Academy" movies and Private Rizzo, the pool-hall con man on the TV show "M*A*S*H," wouldn't seem to be a natural choice for such a high-toned play. But Bailey is a classically trained actor who played More earlier in his career.

Bailey told Brewer that, at this time, he was more the Common Man than Thomas More.

Rounding out the 12-member cast are Tylo, a former soap opera actor on "General Hospital" and "The Young and the Restless" and currently a UNLV theater professor, as the Duke of Norfolk; Phil Hubbard as Henry VIII; Steve Rapella as Thomas Cromwell; UNLV College of Fine Arts dean Jeffrey Koep as Cardinal Wolsey; and Alex Holmes, Joan Mullaney, Stephen Crandall, Melanie Ash, Meredith Stringfelow and Taylor Hanes.

The mazelike set was designed by Jeff Fiala, Kelly James-Pinot designed the costumes and Ben Elliott designed the lights and projections.

Brewer said the play is contemporary because the country is "lacking heroes today. More stood up for what he believed in. His mission wasn't to stand up to anyone, they were standing up to him. The play is incredibly optimistic to realize that there are people like Thomas More in the world."

For Sutorius, the play doesn't run long enough. "It's a treat to be able to lose myself in this guy," he said. "The play really speaks to today. It stays with you forever, doing plays like this and such great roles."