19:30, Fri 6th – Sun 8th November 2009 at The Friends of Peterhouse Theatre
Michaelmas Week 4 to Week 5

The play is based on the story of Saint Sir Thomas More, the 16th-century Lord Chancellor, who refuses to endorse Henry VIII's schism from Rome and subsequent divorce from his first wife. Robert Bolt portrays More as a man of principle, envied by rivals such as Thomas Cromwell and loved by the common people and by his family.

“It isn't difficult to keep alive, friends - just don't make trouble - or if you must make trouble, make the sort of trouble that's expected.”

In 1532, you either keep your head down or you lose it. Men that please the King live in splendour; those that displease him are sent to the tower. However, when the entire tapestry of England's religious tradition is ripped apart to solve the King's Great Matter, his courtiers have to make a huge decision. Do they consent to his divorce? Or do they remain loyal to Rome? Do they value the welfare of their necks, or of their souls? For Sir Thomas More, eminent academic, politician and lawyer, there really is no choice...