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Article: This Roman emperor is a Sher-fire villain; THEATRE.(Review)
- Article from:
- The Evening Standard (London, England)
- Article date:
- December 16, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Solo Syndication Limited. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: NICHOLAS DE JONGH
The Roman Actor, Gielgud Theatre
THE thin, dramatic line that separates the horrific from the blackly comic is gleefully crossed in Philip Massinger's engrossing study of a mad, bad dictator. But contemporary though this view of the destructive havoc of tyranny may sound, The Roman Actor was written in 1626.
Set in ancient Rome during the reign of one awful emperor, Massinger transmits a veiled warning about the threat to parliamentary power when Stuart monarchs asserted the divine right of Kings. Sean Holmes's dynamic production, the first to reach London in centuries, duly seizes upon the potential for rare, dark ...