The Stage

Paul

Published Friday 11 November 2005 at 11:05 by Aleks Sierz

There are few more human attributes than the desire to believe and the story of Paul - who abandoned his past as Saul, an anti-Christian hatchet man, and embarked on a new career as a messianic preacher in 1st-century Judea - is full to the brim with issues of faith, belief and, perhaps, self-deception.

Howard Brenton’s new play, which now stars Adam Godley after Paul Rhys pulled out of the title role, begins with the familiar story of Paul’s conversion on the dusty road to Damascus into the first great Christian missionary.

Then, in a second half set in a Roman prison, where both Paul and the apostle Peter await execution and martyrdom, Brenton lobs a provocative hand grenade, which explodes the biblical story and offers a radical reinterpretation of the origins of Christianity, much along the lines of The Da Vinci Code.

The result is a compelling study of faith and of the human need for stories that explain the world and inspire action. Brenton’s Paul preaches the Gospel of love - while insisting on a rigid sexual morality - but in the end it is his iron will which dominates events.

Howard Davies’ modern-dress production takes place on Vicki Mortimer’s contemporary Middle East set and Godley, who brings a fine mix of seriousness and passion to the title role, gets solid support from Lloyd Owen as Peter and Colin Tierney as Barnabas.

This is a thought-provoking examination of how far desperate men will go in their search for certainty.