Ralph Fiennes and Miranda Raison in Grace Pervades at Theatre Royal Bath. Photo by Marc Brenner

Written by Bryony for Theatre & Tonic

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review

Grace Pervades, written by David Hare, is about the lives of the great Victorian actors Henry Irving and Ellen Terry, and Ellen’s children Edith Craig and Edward Gordan Craig. Recounted from the perspectives of Edith and Edward, it’s an interesting exploration of the legacies they created, which arguably set the foundations for the idea of a national theatre.

We first meet Henry Irving when he has recently become the manager of the Lyceum Theatre and is seeking his leading lady. He drops in to visit Ellen Terry and her sister, who Ellen believes is surely the one he’s hoping will take the role, due to her scandalous love life and illegitimate children. Nevertheless, it’s Ellen he’s hoping for, and after some convincing, she agrees to join him. Despite his already notable reputation within the theatre world, Ellen isn’t intimidated by Henry and is often, in fact, able to provide a few home truths that help his performances improve. Their partnership continues to develop throughout their working relationship, resulting in a real camaraderie between the pairing.

Leading the cast are Ralph Fiennes (Henry) and Miranda Raison (Ellen), whose connection felt as if they’d been the ones on the stage together for over twenty years, not just the characters they were playing. They both had incredible amounts of long and detailed dialogue, which was performed effortlessly. As anticipated, Ralph Fiennes had a dominating presence on stage and had the audience’s attention in a tight grasp. Miranda Raison portrayed such a witty, confident Ellen, a real marvel for her time – I had such a sense of admiration for this woman who had overcome so much.

The set was simple but effective, only changing dramatically for one particular scene. The illustrative style used on the digital backdrop helped portray the location of each scene, but was in keeping with the time. It was also helpful to have the year and location on display throughout, as it made it easier to keep track of where we were in their story due to the frequent jumps in time. Overall, Grace Pervades is a worthy watch for any theatre lover with many insights to learn along the way.

This is the first of three plays that make up the Ralph Fiennes/Theatre Royal Bath Season, with Shakespeare’s As You Like It and another new play, Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s Small Hotel, coming later this year. There are also two poet evenings with Patti Smith and Kae Tempest in July that round up the offerings.

Grace Pervades is playing at the Theatre Royal Bath from 27 June to 19 July 2025
★★★

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