Rome

The Republic is in crisis. Power relations have become unstable, the gap between rich and poor is widening and rebels are threatening to carry out terrorist attacks. The calls for a strong new leader become louder, for an authoritarian who will immediately declare a state of emergency and instigate a crackdown. The populists, meanwhile, call on the people to protest against «Those in power»… Although limitations on freedom like these sound topical to us today, John von Düffel’s remarkable play is set in ancient Rome. Roman Trilogy intertwines the narratives of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, Julius Caesar and Anthony and Cleopatra into a single, enthrallingly expansive panorama whose focus lies on the triumph of demagogues and despots over democracy. Managing to avoid crude transpositions of classical motifs into a modern setting and written in a clear, timeless language, Roman Trilogy analyses the business of politics from coup instigators and spin doctors to broken election promises and misjudged political alliances. Although the characters are called Brutus, Octavius and Agrippina, and the political system depicted here is different to our own, the sense of historical distance brings the similarities to current developments into sharp relief.