Leap of faith... Adam Godley (left) as Paul and Lloyd Owen as Peter in Paul at the National. Photograph: Tristram Kenton
Twenty-five years after causing a stir with The Romans in Britain, notorious for its depiction of anal rape, Howard Brenton returns to the National Theatre with Paul, an irreverent account of the life of St Paul. The National's director, Nicholas Hytner, received 200 letters of complaint before Paul even opened. In the programme, Brenton writes that "there is no God." How did audiences react?
Nick, 39, Bedfordshire: To someone who's Christian, which I am, it can seem quite blasphemous, but at the same time there's a very strong sense of passion and desire there that I don't think the blasphemy undermines. It's very powerful and quite surprising.
Alice, 69, Chicago: It made me wonder how it would play in America. People are very broadminded here and they're willing to listen to all sorts of theories, but I'm afraid that a good many of my countrymen would be up in arms.
Diane Samuels, 45, London: I thought it was a very brave piece of writing. It shows how quickly religious light becomes institutionalised and politicised. Brenton's favourite character was probably Nero: there was a naughty relish there.
Chunky Liston, 27, Edinburgh: I thought it was a followup to Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, suggesting all sorts of collusion theories.
Dominic Dubois, 56, London: It made me think about the beginnings of Christianity. I'm a practising Christian, and I don't necessarily agree with every portrayal, but it was very thought provoking.
Ruth Dubois, London: We were playing spot the vicar. We were expecting people to be outraged and wondering whether someone in the audience would say this is rubbish or this is offensive, but nobody did.
Robert Frumka, 33, London: As a Jew, I think it reinforces the arguments against religion and fanaticism. The play has potential lessons for today and what's going on in Israel.
