EXPLORING the nature of spiritual belief, the duties of pastoral care and the Church of England’s role in society today may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Sir David Hare’s play Racing Demon certainly makes you think about just that.

The play tells the tale of four clergymen seeking to make sense of their mission in London whilst facing their own personal crises, internal conflicts and posing big questions.

The varied characters, led by the excellent David Haig, are asked, what does faith mean, what should their job purpose be, how can the church evolve or even should it evolve to get with the current times?

This production very cleverly looks at the virtues and flaws of every character and how the church itself is somewhat like a political party, with a fair amount of in-fighting, jostling for power, and trying to find a direction to follow.

Lionel Espy, played by Mr Haig, goes about his job and life in a sort of bumbling, apologetic way, whereas the young, brash Tony, the new evangelical curate, wants to take the parish that they serve in a new direction. The road to hell is paid with good intentions, and that is where it seems Tony is heading, forcing his religion down people’s throats.

Tony, who wantonly discards his girlfriend in favour of God, detests everything about Lionel and sees him as a failure as the amount of churchgoers in the parish are dwindling. 

The play also covers a hack journalist looking for a story into gay priests, the conflict that a priest has to go through when putting their own interests before their job and the community and calling on God for guidance.

The first half was a bit of a slow burner but the second half improved greatly and the dialogue between the characters is quite gripping. It is a fascinating insight into the church today in a world where atheism is on the rise. How does one move with the times and stay relevant?

I will admit one of the main reasons I wanted to see this play is because I am a huge fan of Four Weddings and a Funeral, where a certain Mr Haig plays the loveable Bernard.

You know, from the wedding ceremony scene where Rowan Atkinson’s vicar character made a cod’s ear of everyone’s names? Yes that one.

Therefore I think it is fitting to give Bernard the final word when summing up director Jonathan Church’s adaptation, “I thought, splendid. What did you think?”