Peter Brook's dramatisation of the Grand Inquisitor's speech to Christ - taken from Dostoevsky's novel The Brothers Karamazov - is set during the time of the Inquisition in 16th-Century Seville, when heretics were being burned alive at the stake.
Christ returns to Earth, in human form, and is quickly singled out and captured by the Grand Inquisitor, played by Bruce Myers, a long-time collaborator of Brook.
What began with Myers setting the scene as a narrator unfolded into a thought-provoking monologue as he took on the role of Inquisitor, asking questions of, but receiving no answers from, Christ.
His 50-minute delivery mulled over what he believed was best for mankind - surely not the freedom of choice offered by Christ? My main problem with this one-man vehicle was that Myers was neither sinister nor convincing enough. His accusations, aimed at the impassive Christ, were too reasoned and eloquent for a man who had, only the previous day, ordered the brutal deaths of hundreds.
Although Myers cut an imposing and authoritative figure, striding back and forth across the stage in his long dark cloak, it was not enough to keep my attention focused for the duration of the performance. Unfortunately, the austere grey set, which depicted the bleak confines of a prison cell, offered little by way of diversion.
For one person to hold your attention for such a sustained period of time, they need to be utterly compelling, and I never truly felt Myers was.
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