TS Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral review – gather in wonder at David Suchet’s excellent archbishop

A striking example of site-specific theatre, TS Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral was first performed in 1935 at Canterbury Cathedral. This was the location, in 1170, for its pivotal event: the killing by Henry II’s knights of Archbishop Thomas Becket during a dispute over the powers of church and state. Subsequently, audiences have been more likely to enter a production via a church nave than a theatre aisle. The latest host venue is St John the Divine, opposite the Orange Tree theatre, whose boss, Tom Littler, co-directs with Francesca Ellis. David Suchet’s Becket, in gilded vestments, preaches from the pulpit. Dozens of candles on the altar and lining a marbled walkway between pews (design by Rob Jones, lighting by Peter Mumford) cast shadows on the walls around stained glass windows. The overall classiness of the show is extended by a programme essay by an actual former archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, covering Eliot’s concern with whether priests, in 1930s England and Germany, served or resisted politicians. Hard lesson … (from left) David Yelland, Ben Caplan, David Suchet, Nick Sampson and Jyuddah Jaymes.