THINK of Thomas More - think Man For All Seasons.

The recollection is of a religious zealot, a somewhat dull and intractable man in stark contrast to his master, the virile and volatile Henry VIII.

In the RSC's production of a near-contemporary account of the man, More comes over as fundametally different. This character, played superbly by Nigel Cooke, has many more layers - he is scholar, wit, impish jester, musician and a willing and talented understudy in the play-within-the-play.

Yet underneath, he is still the obstinate Catholic, refusing to bow to the king's demand for a break with Rome, welcoming death as an end to earthly burdens and a chance to be with God.

The play's authorship is uncertain, though it is ceredited to a number of late 16th century writers, including Shakespeare and Anthony Munday, and this may be one reason why it works perfectly as a historical document yet fails to grab the emotions as one might expect of a tragedy.

One fascination is the theme of the first half - More's rise to prominece after quelling race riots in London. It is extraordinary, yet strangely comforting, to see that bigotry is as old as history and to hear More's magnificent appeal for speech of tolerance, which has inevitable echoes of Shylock's 'hath not a Jew eyes..?' in Merchant of Venice.

As with most of the RSC's work, the production is visually sensational and the live music a real embellishment. Thomas More runs in repertory until November.

Review by STEVE EVANS