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Theatre

The Thomas Cromwell plays would be stronger if they made him weaker 

Mike Poulton's stage adaptations of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies are a triumph — but he needs to build sympathy for the bodies in Bodies

18 January 2014

9:00 AM

18 January 2014

9:00 AM

Wolf Hall; Bring Up the Bodies

Swan Theatre, Stratford upon Avon, in rep until 29 March

Three things you might not expect of the RSC’s adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Tudor novels. First, Mike Poulton’s plays have some great jokes. Laugh-your-head-off funny, you might say. Second, although Tom, Dick and Mary tell me they found Mantel’s Bring Up the Bodies a more enjoyable read, Wolf Hall is the better play.

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