Royal Hunt of the Sun

Was rather disappointed by National's performance of The Voysey Inheritance (Any play where you actually don't know whether it's finished or not has to be lacking a certain something..) but Peter Shaeffer's Royal Hunt of the Sun on Saturday night more than made up for it. They played it on a completely bare round stage dominated by an enormous cut out sun on the backdrop with a movable strip that made it look like the sun was rising. It's about how the Spanish conquered the Inca empire in 1531 with less than 200 men, very damming of the church's role in it, and about the relationship that develops between the aging conquistador Pizzaro and Atuahalpa the Inca sun-king who he holds captive. The moment when the Inca is revealed standing in the sunrise in his fabulous gold and feather costume is one of those moments of theatre that stays with you for ever. Also the amazing haka -style war dance he persuades Pizzaro (Alun Armstrong - looking pretty fit for an old TV actor)to copy. Lots to think about too - from this distance of years it just seems impossible - how could the church encourage plunder and genocide in Jesus name? How could they possibly think it was right? More troubling what are we doing/ not doing now that Christians in 400 years (if we're still here) will be amazed at....?