THE LADY'S NOT FOR BURNING has long been one of my favorite classical roles performed by the talented and versatile Richard Chamberlain. Finding a first rate copy of this old and rare treasure was not an easy fete, but when I finally did find a great version, it was wonderful to see and hear this old and cherished work written by the legendary late Christopher Fry.

Richard Chamberlain did this play in England in 1970, right on the heels of his glorious performance as Hamlet at The Birmingham. He had been so excited to leave his Kildare image behind when he embraced England, looking to do "Shakespeare" and "The Classics." He knew he had to shake that "golden boy"
image, and re-invent himself to be taken seriously for new venues. It didn't take him long. The extremely determined young actor, was "bursting with talent" and pursued his goals with amazing tenacity.

Christopher Fry was an ICON of writers, and considered to be one of the major British playrights of the twentieth century with his lyrical, poetic language, which was often very difficult for actors to perfect. Richard received "rave" reviews for his perfomance as Thomas Mendip. He was perceived as being "extremely comfortable" with the somewhat archaic, but romantic, lyrical, and poetic language of the play. His beautiful mellifluous voice" in itself was an orchestra of verse. Richard Chamberlain immediately captured the language of this play, its bones and sinews, which held such vast human dilemmas and longings together. He caught and held the subtle wit and the detached (extremely understated) sketching of the EVIL, stemming from human ignorance and greed, the inadequacy of REASON against that evil, and the even greater inadequacy of DESPAIR and NIHILISM. He captured all of Fry's thoughts and expressions making this rich play "LIVE" and "SOAR" with understanding and realism.

Richard Chamberlain with his overwhelming beauty and magnificent poetic vocal skills, plays Thomas Mendip, a hard-bitten, disillusioned veteran, whose bitterness of life, caused from seeing "too much of the world," demands to be hanged, because he has killed the rag-and-bones man. Jennet Jourdemayne, played by the beautiful and amazingly talented Eileen Atkins, also one of England's greatest and most loved actresses, is identified and pursued as a witch, the excuse being that the old rag-and-bones man has been found dead, and her unconventional lifesyle is suspect. She is a beautiful, bewitching woman of some means, and the Mayor refuses to hang Thomas Mendip, but turns on the seductive Jennet and promises to have her burned in the morning.

The interplay between Jennet and Thomas is amazing, with such beautiful lyrical and poetic language keeping you faithfully engaged to every moment of their rich and seductive dialogue together. When the despairing Thomas finally realizes he loves the cynical, unconventional but alluring Jennet, the tension one feels building inside from the nihilistic path of the play, dissipates in beauty and warmth, as he professes his love, kisses her, and whisks her away from the dangers that lurk in the unconventional shadows of her world. A subtle pledge of romance, which softens the drastic and harsh impact of cynicism, is generously delivered from the master of romance himself, Richard Chamberlain. Magnificent!

This play is a darkly humorous portrait of the human condition with an especially brilliant scene, which calls in a priest played brilliantly by Tom Lacy, who coddles his violin as if it were his only child, and is completely adrift from the world. He is unable to perform any of his proper functions as a priest, or even as a human being, thus he provides an odd counterpoint to the life and death issues that Thomas and Jennet face.

Richard Chamberlain's performance was both intense and understated. His Thomas is grim, in exactly all the right ways, with a generosity and sweetness, beautifully and subtly expressed in his despair. His performance was beautifully and correctly nuanced and most sharply defined. Richard chose not to play Thomas as arrogant and flashy, but toned down this flamboyant role and played Thomas with a humility that makes this character somewhat amusing and even more tragic ..... and far more satisfying. By not drawing attention to himself, Richard Chamberlain's performance is more realistic and allows you to see what he is trying to do, accentuating Jennet's character and her importance to his dilemma even more alluringly.

Thomas Mendip is a world-wary mercenary, thrown into a household of empty-headed sons played brilliantly by Scott Hylands and Stephen McHattie, two of Britains most brilliant actors, a conventional thinking mom played by Rosemary Murphy, an uncle who also happens to be the Mayor of the town, played by Keene Curtis, and a naive servant played absolutely brilliantly and compellingly by Kristoffer Tabori (great performance also) and Alizon, a naive girl who has just been released from a convent, played by Laurie Prange. John Carradine was a brilliant highlight in the play, performing the mentally deranged "Old Skip." This play was greatly enhanced by a magnificent cast and a most brilliant performance by its star, the amazingly talented and versatile Richard Chamberlain.

Christopher Fry died June 30, 2005, and it is wonderful to have this brilliantly written dark comedy on disc for a lifetime of enjoyment. It is an enchanting experience to see, hear, and glean all the poetic beauty and nuances, found within the verse of this magnificent work. The resonance of Shakespeare is truly interwoven throughout this amazing story, and it proved that Richard Chamberlain was capable of capturing the essence of Thomas Mendip, delivering and sustaining the life of this brilliant classic, and "charming the socks off" his audience in the process.

By Judy Crocker

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