“MURDER IN CATHEDRAL”

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30497, 20 July 1964, Page 10

“MURDER IN CATHEDRAL”

Presentation By Schools One would find it hard to imagine a more successful production of “Murder in the Cathedral” than the one presented by St. Margaret’s College and Christ’s College. A three-night season in Christ’s College Chapel ended on Saturday night, but it would be a great pity if an opportunity were not provided for further performances for the general public. The whole cast showed a maturity of presentation and interpretation which, strengthened by an impressive atmosphere of devotion, would be difficult to reproduce even with experienced adult actors.

That each actor appreciated both the dfamatic significance of his lines, and their relevance to contemporary problems was at all times obvious The players, especially the magnificently intelligible chorus of 'women, communicated the fears, the tension, the bewilderment and the anguish of a situation which seemed out of control—a situation which seemed to point to hopeless disaster. Had the play been about a contemporary leader who decided to initiate an atomic war, it could not have had a greater sense of urgency. Standing nobly in the centre of the conflict was a Becket who had dignity, authority, and the compassion of a man touched by God. His tempters were plausible both as individuals and as. symbols; and his murderers were convincingly played as men with a reasonable,, if unpleasant, duty to perform.

The play was visually dramatic: costume, lighting and grouping, used imaginatively against the background of the church, each made a calculated contribution to the play’s impact. The use made of sound—the crashing volume from the organ, the pounding on the church doors, the robust chanting of plainsong, the cleverly orchestrated voices of the chorus —these all gave the play exciting moments. Every word in Eliot’s demanding text was clearly audible, and the emphasis of the verse given its full weight. One felt that there was little of what this important play had to say that was not realised by this outstanding production.—P.R.S.