Written on the Heart
From: Thursday, 27th October 2011
To: Saturday, 10 March 2012
Our Review: 
Your Reviews:
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Synopsis
Across an 80 year divide, two men translate the word of God into the English tongue. For one, it means death at the stake. For the other, it could mean an archbishop's mitre. After almost a century of unrest, the King James Bible was intended to end the violent upheavals of the English reformation. But deep-seated conflicts force a leading translator to confront the betrayal of his youthful religious ideals, for the sake of social peace.
Our Review:
Simon Tavener - 8 November 2011
You might think that a play about the creation of the translation for the King James Bible might not be the stuff of great drama but, when placed in the capable hands of David Edgar, you would be wrong. With Written on the Heart, he has created a taut and fluent play which maps the struggles of those involved in the evolution of this iconic text.
What impresses most about the piece is the way that the human stories of the contributors, their motivations and desires are interwoven into a play that explores the power of language to both control and set free the individual. It is a work of great humanity, warm humour and intellectual honesty.
Following the successes this season of Cardenio and The City Madam, the Royal Shakespeare Company has again delivered a very fine production in the Swan Theatre. Gregory Doran directs with a great deal of clarity and strength of purpose – allowing the individual voices to speak out. The scenes with Tyndale ...
Latest User Review
Melinda Derry - 31 December 2011:
My son and I saw this last night, not knowing at all what to expect. Between us we knew just enough of the history to make sense of what we saw and learned far more. The acting was so compelling it was difficult at times not to contribute to the arguments on stage. The set was hauntingly lovely and Stephen Boxer's portrayal of Tyndale extraordinary. We've spent the day talking about the play and were caught, groupie-like and gawping when Oliver Ford-Davies walked past our hotel this morning. I'm actually not always all that keen on theatre, but this was wonderful....
Cast
Oliver Ford Davies (Lancelo tAndrewes)
Stephen Boxer (William Tyndale)
Bruce Alexander (George Abbot Bishop of London)
Jamie Ballard (Young Lancelot Andrewes)
Paul Chahidi (Richard Thompson)
James Hayes (Laurence Chaderton)
Jim Hooper (John Overall)
Youssef Kerkour (Painter)
Joseph Kloska (Samuel Ward)
Sam Marks (Henry Prince of Wales)
Annette McLaughlin (Squire's Wife)
Jodie McNee (Mary Culler)
Ian Midlane (Churchwarden)
Mark Quartley (Young Catholic Priest)
Daniel Stewart (Clerk)
Simon Thorp (Sir Henry Saville)
Creative
David Edgar (Author)
Royal Shakespear Company (Company)
Gregory Doran (Director)
Francis O'Connor (Design)
Tim Mitchell (Lighting)
Paul Englishby (Music)
Jonathan Ruddick (Sound)
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