Simon Russell Beale is 'near his best' in Donmar's Temple

Michael Coveney, WhatsOnStage

★★★★

"Steve Waters's supple, subtle new play"

"Russell Beale, in one of his most compelling and rationally transparent performances"

"Howard Davies's beautifully modulated and controlled production"

Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph

★★★★★

"Call it divine inspiration – but some rare creative power has settled on the playwright Steve Waters"

"impeccable direction from Howard Davies and a performance from Beale which, shifting exquisitely from coiled, disdainful tension to teary-eyed exasperation, instantly ranks as one of the finest in his career."

Quentin Letts, Daily Mail

★★★★

"Russell Beale is near his best. This dean is dryly amusing, fastidious, agonised by the choice he must make."

"Malcolm Sinclair does a gorgeous turn as the Bishop of London"

"This Donmar production honours the Church by taking it seriously at the same time as poking light fun. The arguments inside St Paul’s were certainly a lot more elevated than the ranting we heard outside."

Henry Hitchings, Evening Standard

★★★★

"Waters’s play begins bracingly. The characterisation is deft, and there are some wickedly barbed lines. The initial energy isn’t fully sustained, and Howard Davies’s sensitive production is at times too static."

"Russell Beale gives us a finely nuanced portrait of a man who is ravaged by doubt, yet can respond to adversity with courage, humility and wit."

Michael Billington, Guardian

★★★★

"the fascination of Steve Waters’ play about the impact of the Occupy London movement on the clerical hierarchy of St Paul’s is that it sees all points of view."

"Howard Davies’s typically immaculate production"

"the good thing is that the play leaves you debating the issues it so cogently raises"

Temple runs at the Donmar Warehouse until 25 July 2015