THE KING JAMES BIBLE PLAY – REVIEW OF 2026 STRATFORD FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

In 1605 King James of England and Scotland appointed 47 scholars to translate both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. They did, and in 1611 their translations were published and eventually became known as the King James Version or the King James Bible. It was the most influential translation and  its language was so powerful that Andrew Lang, Walter Leaf, and Ernest Myers used it for their prose translation of the  Iliad in the late 19^th century.

Writing a play about the translation from Hebrew and Greek of ancient texts by four translators at first blush appears quixotic but Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman manages to produce an interesting play at  least in the first half. She has chosen John Bois (Gray Powell), John Perrin (Michael Spencer-Davis), George Abbot (Rylan Wilkie) and Sir Henry Savile (Cyrus Lane) as translators together with the latter’s son Willie (Steven Hao) as their scribe. Set in the 17^th century, that is the first half of the play. 

The seconds half has five women putting on a play today, involving the characters in the first half of the play.

A play about searching for the right English word to correspond to the original Hebrew or Greek, even if it involves four people, presents serious dramatic limitations. Cobreil-Coleman adds personal issues in individual lives and among the characters to create drama. Arguing over the translation of a Greek word will not a play make.

Sir Henry has issues with his son because he is not his son. His wife was pregnant when he married her. Archbishop Abbot is a stentorian orator who delivers sermons as if he were addressing a rally in a stadium. No need for a microphone even if it existed then. Bois has problems with his wife and Sir Henry counsels him to teach her how to read. Sir Henry tells us about his intimate relations with his wife. To wit, he does not like mixing his perspiration with hers! It is pathetic and funny when one imagines his intimate contact with her.

From left: Vivien Endicott-Douglas as Han, Liz Der as Roni,
Angel Lo as Anna, Sara Topham as Cath and Deborah Hay
 as Martie, The King James Bible Play. Stratford Festival 2026. 
Photo: David Hou.

Bishop Abbot has never been to the theatre (it is sinful) but he and Willie decide to enact a scene between Elizabeth and the Virgin Mary.

What about translating the Bible? Oh, yes. What about the word witch? There are references to witchcraft in the Old and New Testaments and none of them have anything positive to say about them. Kill them seems to be the message but some of the translators consider witchcraft bovine feces (my interpretation). The King is a fervent believer in witchcraft and he was responsible for the torture of hundreds of women who refused to admit that they were witches. He also likes watching women being burned at the stake and he was responsible for the execution of thousands of women. That is my addendum and it is not in the play.

The first half of the play was done well and I enjoyed it. I found inherent interest in the translation of the Bible and the personal differences among the translators to appreciate the play and the performance.

From left: Cyrus Lane as Sir Henry Savile, Gray Powell as John Bois,

Steven Hao as Willie, Rylan Wilkie as George Abbot and 

Michael Spencer-Davis as John Perrin, The King James Bible Play. 

Stratford Festival 2026. Photo: David Hou.

The second half was not as successful. The five women in the cast, Roni (Liz Der), Han (Vivien Endicott-Douglas), Martie (Deborah Hay), Anna (Angel Lo) and Cath (Sara Topham) displayed abundant and impressive acting talent. They are putting on a play about the men of the previous act. Do they represent the men or their wives? They are under extreme pressure to proceed with the production and that creates some emotional outbursts.

Deborah Hay, the founder and tough director of the theatre company, gives a superb performance. Han is her daughter (Sir Henry and Willie parallel). There are violent arguments and the women as the men of the 17^th century or their wives are clearly more emotional than the men. Topham gives an amazing emotional scene as Cath.

Sir Henry and George Abbot make appearances in the second part of the play and I am not sure why.

Nina Lee Aquino did a fine job directing the first half but was not as successful with the second half.

In the end I was left with a memorable line that goes something like this: Puritans love God with all their soul and hate people with all their heart.
_____________________
The King James Bible Play by Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman opened on August 21 and will run in repertory until September 26, 2026, at the Studio Theatre, Stratford, Ontario. www.stratfordfestival.ca

James Karas is the Culture Editor of The Greek Press, Toronto