The Reviews are in for Grace Pervades

Legendary actor Ralph Fiennes stars opposite Miranda Raison at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in David Hare's Grace Pervades, after a sell-out season at Theatre Royal Bath.

The funny play sees Fiennes perform as Sir Henry Irving, the first actor ever to be knighted and the greatest star of the Victorian stage, while Spooks star Raison plays Ellen Terry, the most loved and highest paid actress in England. Their celebrated partnership – on and off the stage – changed the theatre forever.

The reviews are in:

"Two standout performances elevate Grace Pervades, a charming play about Victorian theatre’s power-couple." ★★★★ (The Telegraph).

"Ralph Fiennes and Miranda Raison are exceptional as Victorian stage stars. In 25 scenes spanning 1878-1966, David Hare’s wry and elegant love letter to theatre focuses on the working and romantic relationship between Ellen Terry and Henry Irving." ★★★★ (The Guardian).

"Fiennes sparkles in Hare's quirky play about Victorian actor-manager Henry Irving and stage luminary Ellen Terry that looks at the alchemy that binds artists and audiences." ★★★★ (The Times). 

"Never exceptional, but nor too dull, a smart, sweet, self-referential drama about two titans of the English stage." ★★★ (Time Out). 

"Hare has done them proud. Heartfelt, truly feminist and funny, Grace Pervades shows how character is made on and off stage." ★★★★ (The Observer). 

"Fiennes sends himself up delightfully in a warm and witty look at British theatrical pioneers." ★★★ (The Standard).

"Fiennes’ precise central performance is the saving grace in Hare’s overstuffed exploration of Victorian theatre." ★★ (The Stage).

"The actor is dignified but uncompelling in this turgid celebration of the past, which leaps between tales of a curmudgeonly old sod and a miserable lesbian love triangle." ★★ (The Independent)

"This richly packed play feels like rummaging around in a theatrical trunk — which is both its pleasure and its problem." ★★★ (Financial Times).

Overall: ★★★

• Theatre Royal Haymarket, London
• Ends Sat 11 July 2026.

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