Becket

Synopsis

As he waits to be scourged for his part in Becket's murder, King Henry II retraces his entire relationship with the saint, once his dearest friend and mentor. His catastrophic mistake was to create Becket Archbishop out of political expediency for Becket found a fulfilment lacking in his hitherto luxurious life and therefore guarded the honour of God as once he had, as Henry's Chancellor, once guarded the honour of his King.

Our Review:

28 October 2004

I must admit, the only time I’ve seen Becket performed was in the 1964 screen version starring Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton, when my adolescent self was bored sick by a film that seemed long on talk and short on action.

This revival, with a new translation by Frederic and Stephen Raphael, seemed the perfect opportunity to revisit the original play and exorcise those demons. But, guess what? It still seems long on talk and short on action.

It’s not as if Jean Anouilh was lacking material. The relationship between Henry II and Thomas à Becket was not only a stormy one but touched a variety of themes: duty to a state and friends, conflicts within the family, racial division, the struggle between the secular and the sacred and, above all, thwarted homosexual love.

Despite such riches, Anouilh managed to contrive a play that’s completely devoid of dramatic effect and, despite the best efforts of the Raphaels, still drags. What’s more, whil...

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Latest User Review

195.93.33.12) - 4 November 2004:

A very enjoyable show. Nice to see something serious on the London stage. A pity that the Raphael adaptation shifts the emphasis too much towards focussing on Henry and not so much on Becket himself. In the previous (Hill) translation, Becket is the centre of attention and I think that makes more sense. Dougray Scott was good, Jasper Britton got all the jokes and action- so seemed the star. JE...

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