Salve!
We were going to ask if anyone liked plays, but you’re classicists, so of course you like plays. In the spirit of giving you guys Things You Like, we’ve got some discount codes for the marvellous Britannicus at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre! No hoops to jump through, just enter the code CLASSICIST at checkout to get your hands on £15 tickets for any performance between Saturday 4th June - Saturday 25th June*, saving up to 64%! Aren’t we lovely?
So, what's so special about this particular play? Well, Britannicus is an adaptation by Timberlake Wertenbaker of the classic 1600s play of the same name. It centres around deep political corruption and the perils of unchecked authority, using figures from Ancient Rome and bringing them into a modern setting. Directed by Atri Banerjee, it has been described as a “beautifully distilled adaptation”. Here’s what the website has to say:
Son or pawn? Lover or manipulator? Brother or usurper? Britannicus is a chilling portrait of a dictator’s rise to power.
Agrippina – desperate to cling onto power – has ensured her son, Nero, is the Roman Emperor, in place of his adopted brother and the rightful heir. Nero’s own obsessions turn a once virtuous ruler into an oppressive tyrant. His path to power is paved with deceit, corruption and cruelty.
The casting is also pretty exciting - with It’s a Sin’s Nathaniel Curtis starring in the title role of Britannicus with William Robinson as Nero, Sirine Saba as Agrippina, Hanna Khogali as Albine, Helena Lymbery as Burrhus, Nigel Barrett as Narcissus and Shyvonne Ahmmad as Junia.
Timberlake Wertenbaker, Translator and Adaptor, said: “I was actually translating Racine’s
Phedre when I caught a production of Britannicus in Paris. I hadn’t known the play well before
and I was stunned by its analysis of ambition and the corruption of power. I was intrigued by
the complex and changeable relationships between the characters, something Racine does
brilliantly. It’s a very political play and seems to speak to times of political turmoil.”
Anyway, we think you’ll love it. And you’ll probably love it more having got the tickets at a discount.
Enjoy!
P.S. Showings on June 11 are open captioned and audio described.
*Limited to 2 per person.