Review: Murder in the Cathedral (Oxford Playhouse)

Oxford Theatre Guild’s Murder in the Cathedral is currently showing at Oxford Playhouse. The information on the website gave insight that this was to be a retelling of the final days of Thomas Becket, after he returned home from exile. With no prior knowledge of the book by T.S. Eliot, I was keen to go along and see it.

The opening consisted of a musical treat as a choir sang, instantly setting the scene in a cathedral, alongside the large cross suspended over the centre of the stage. It was great to have the choir bringing music to the performance on several occasions, adding a bit of a change of pace from watching what is quite a heavy play at times.

As the show progressed, it detailed Thomas Becket’s downfall, initially in the form of persuasion as four Tempters try and give him reasons to abandon his principles. The choice to have echo on their voices left me wondering if they were meant to be human or in fact otherworldly entities. Their costumes may inspire memories of a well-known TV show for some, this also being relevant to their type of characters.

Production photograph by Kalhana Colombage

The Women of Canterbury also appeared to voice their concerns. Their spoken parts in unison were superb and I particularly loved the collective sighs at the end of sentences. There was a scene towards the end of the play as well when their movements were beautifully choreographed, it was very satisfying to watch.

The four cast members who played the Tempters in the first half and the Knights in the second showed the distinct characters for each of their characters, and as well as all the persuasion and menace they brought to the show, I enjoyed the reactions by Tempter 4 (Dawn Taylor) towards the end of the second half every time Tempter 1 (Vaughan Pierce) referred to the “four gentlemen” on stage. Moments like this will stay with me, and made me chuckle even as I wrote this review.

The first half of this production of Murder in the Cathedral made it abundantly clear you did not need to understand the style of wording or indeed know the story inside out to enjoy this play. It is a dark and intense watch but leaves you keen to find out how things will progress during the second half during the interval.

I found I enjoyed Act 2 even more. Using more variable styles between the scenes, it seemed to get more gripping as time went on and I had a sense of not wanting the show to end.

The direction is so creative and unique at times with great attention to detail. Without giving any spoilers, many additional directorial choices stood out to me, on top of those I have mentioned earlier, some of which I will mention below.

When the priests were each speaking during the second half, punctuated by Bart Theide’s beautiful solo Tenor, this scene was memorable for how it all fitted together, and the characters moved as the music separated their speeches.

Secondly during the closing moments of the play, one of the women who had been heavily pregnant throughout the show was holding her baby.  This is a tiny change that some audience members may not even notice (and indeed it would not impact if you did not), but the decision to make this change right near the end, showing the passing of time, was brilliant.

I also have to mention the death scene. Not always easy to stage, murders often have a propensity to rely on violence, gore and blackout but not in this case; this was done in such a unique way.  This staging choice, along with many others included in this show, create the moments you think about long after the curtain falls.

Production photograph by Kalhana Colombage

The lighting design was beautiful, at times evoking the imagery of light shining through a stained glass window, and at others simply shifting the focus where needed, including when the house lights went up slightly and the fourth wall came down as the audience became part of a congregation at the start of Act 2 and later on as the Knights fought their case.

The cast have clearly been well chosen for their roles.  There was no one on stage who did not need to be, and the story flowed well as a result of these choices. Nick Fyson was captivating as Thomas Becket and despite this fact this review is not peppered by lots of different names, every person on the stage was well suited for the character (or characters) they were portraying.

What started as a thought during the show has become even more apparent as I have written this review. There are so many interesting things to look for as you watch this production unfold, the attention to detail is second to none. The direction by Simon Tavener and assistant director Vicky Wild was absolutely outstanding.

If my diary was not full this week I would be heading back for a second viewing.

⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Murder in the Cathedral is showing at Oxford Playhouse until Saturday 25 April 2026.

I was gifted tickets for this show in exchange for an honest review.