Other Works of Robert Bolt

I'm curious if anyone else here has read or seen other plays by Robert Bolt, and if so what you think of them. None of his plays besides Man are terribly well-known (at least in present), yet I think most of them are good and a few great.

I've read all of them except his BBC Radio plays, which appear not to have been published. Brief capsule reviews of each (all based on reading them and not seeing them performed, of course, where I'd probably get different opinions):

Flowering Cherry - I found this one deadeningly dull, and a rip-off of Death of a Salesman. Maybe it would work better on-stage but on the written page it came across as weak and derivative.

The Tiger and the Horse - A play about a college professor who refuses to sign a petition against nuclear weapons, and his family and friends' reaction to his decision. Although flawed it is interesting in that it's a precursor to A Man for All Seasons in many ways - the emphasis on personal commitment and integrity, for one. The dialogue and characters are very well-written and given that it was based around a topical issue of the time it hasn't aged that much - replace nuclear arms with the Iraq War, for instance, and it would work just as well today.

A Man for All Seasons - Bolt's masterpiece. 'Nuff said.

Gentle Jack - A rather bizarre play - about a dull office worker who is given supernatural powers by a Nature god in the English countryside - with some intriguing thematic ideas about personal integrity (again), and human nature - the wild, uninhibited side of nature vs. the cold world of professionalism. I completely misinterpreted what was going on the first time I read it, and had to re-read it in order to understand. It's a bizarre play on the written page (can only imagine what it would be like on stage!) with too many characters and a bit much going on, but the ideas are really strong and it's enjoyable. It would be interesting to see this on stage, considering it was a complete failure when it was first performed; perhaps the production itself was just badly flawed? Worth a look, but not for all tastes.

The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew - This play was really famous in the '60s and '70s from what I understand. It's a children's play about a stuck-up knight sent to fight an evil baron and a dragon. Again, I'm not sure how fit I am to judge it based on reading and not seeing it performed, but on the basis of the script it would be interesting. Bolt clearly put a lot of work into it, and it's not just something he tossed off for a few bucks.

Vivat! Vivat Regina! - A play about Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. This is the one besides Flowering Cherry that I didn't really care for. While the subject matter is interesting and the dialogue is well-written, the story is rather static and the writing is dry. I found it very hard to get into despite doing so at least thrice, though again reading it wouldn't live up to seeing a performance. At least the characters of Elizabeth and Mary were well-developed, and each respectfully so.

State of Revolution - Maybe it's just because of the subject matter (the Russian Revolution) but for me this is by far Bolt's best work for the stage aside from Man. The story flows really well, the dialogue is sharp, and it's never less than gripping. The only criticism I'd make is that the characters aren't really convincing as Russians, but I at least can live with that. Would love to see it or even act in it.

Anybody else care to comment?

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