''Imperium: The Cicero Plays'' is a stage adaptation of the Cicero trilogy of novels by Robert Harris (''

Imperium In ancient Rome, ''imperium'' was a form of authority held by a citizen to control a military or governmental entity. It is distinct from '' auctoritas'' and '' potestas'', different and generally inferior types of power in the Roman Republic a ...

'', ''

Lustrum A lūstrum (, plural lūstra) was a term for a five-year period in Ancient Rome. It is distinct from the homograph ''lustrum'' ( ): a haunt of wild beasts (and figuratively, a den of vice), plural ''lustra'' ( ).Oxford Latin Desk Dictionary (20 ...

'' and ''

Dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in tim ...

''). It was premiered by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon from 16 November 2017 to 10 February 2018, directed by

Gregory Doran Gregory Doran (born 24 November 1958) is an English director known for his Shakespearean work. ''The Sunday Times'' called him 'one of the great Shakespearians of his generation'. Doran was artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RS ...

and with

Richard McCabe Richard McCabe (born William McCabe; 18 August 1960) is a Scottish actor who has specialised in classical theatre. He is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). Career McCabe is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare ...

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

. It played at the

Gielgud Theatre The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, at the corner of Rupert Street, in the City of Westminster, London. The house currently has 986 seats on three levels. The theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague and ...

in London from 14 June to 8 September 2018.

Plot summary

The cycle consists of six plays, each roughly one hour long, performed as two groups of three, all narrated by Cicero's slave and later freedman

Tiro Marcus Tullius Tiro (died 4 BC) was first a slave, then a freedman, of Cicero from whom he received his nomen and praenomen. He is frequently mentioned in Cicero's letters. After Cicero's death Tiro published his former master's collecte ...

Part I - Conspirator

The first group consists of the plays ''Cicero'', ''Catiline'' and ''Clodius''. It includes a brief flashback to Cicero's prosecution of Verres in 70 BC but mainly runs from Cicero's election campaign for consul in 64 BC until his exile in 58 BC, adapting material from the end of ''Imperium'', the whole of ''Lustrum'' and the start of ''Dictator''.

Part II - Dictator

The second group adapts the remainder of ''Dictator'' into three plays entitled ''Caesar'', ''Mark Anthony'' and ''Octavian''. The first opens as Cicero returns to Italy in the wake of Caesar's victory at

Pharsalus ''Pharsalus''Melichar L (1906) ''Monographie der Issiden. (Homoptera). Abhandlungen der K. K. Zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien.'' Wien 3: 1-327 21 is the type genus of planthoppers in the subfamily Pharsalinae (family Ricaniidae); it ...

in 48 BC, followed by a summing-up of the recent

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

and Caesar's assumption of dictatorial powers. The rest of the three plays then follows Cicero's reaction to the

Ides of March The Ides of March (; la, Idus Martiae, Late Latin: ) is the 74th day in the Roman calendar, corresponding to 15 March. It was marked by several religious observances and was notable in Rome as a deadline for settling debts. In 44 BC, it became ...

and his failed attempts to save the Roman Republic by playing Mark Anthony and Octavian off against each other, culminating in Cicero's execution in 43 BC. The final play ends with an epilogue by Tiro, covering the later fates of Brutus, Cassius, Octavian and Mark Anthony and imagining Cicero's afterlife in words from his own ''

Dream of Scipio A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

''.

Cast (premier production)

*Nicholas Boulton - Celer, Cicero's patrician ally (Part I) / Cassius, conspirator against Caesar (Part II) *

Guy Burgess Guy Francis de Moncy Burgess (16 April 1911 – 30 August 1963) was a British diplomat and Soviet agent, and a member of the Cambridge Five spy ring that operated from the mid-1930s to the early years of the Cold War era. His defection in 1951 ...

Verres Gaius Verres (c. 120–43 BC) was a Roman magistrate, notorious for his misgovernment of Sicily. His extortion of local farmers and plundering of temples led to his prosecution by Cicero, whose accusations were so devastating that his defence adv ...

(Part I) / Sura, Catiline's ally (Part I) / Lepidus, leader of Caesar's veterans (Part II) * Daniel Burke - Sositheus, Cicero's slave (Part I) / Marcus, Cicero's son (Part II) * Jade Croot - Tullia, Cicero's daughter * Peter de Jersey -

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

* Joe Dixon -

Catiline Lucius Sergius Catilina ( 108 BC – January 62 BC), known in English as Catiline (), was a Roman politician and soldier. He is best known for instigating the Catilinarian conspiracy, a failed attempt to violently seize control of the ...

(Part I) /

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...

(Part II) * John Dougall - Rabirius, aged senator (Part I) /

Metellus Pius Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius (c. 128 – 63 BC) was a Roman politician and general. Like the other members of the influential Caecilii Metelli family, he was a leader of the Optimates, the conservative faction opposed to the Populares during t ...

, Chief Pontiff (Part I) /

Lucullus Lucius Licinius Lucullus (; 118–57/56 BC) was a Roman general and statesman, closely connected with Lucius Cornelius Sulla. In culmination of over 20 years of almost continuous military and government service, he conquered the eastern kingd ...

, patrician (Part I) /

Brutus Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC), often referred to simply as Brutus, was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Serv ...

, one of Caesar's murderers (Part II) * Michael Grady-Hall - Cato (Part I) /

Hirtius Aulus Hirtius (; – 43 BC) was consul of the Roman Republic in 43 BC and a writer on military subjects. He was killed during his consulship in battle against Mark Antony at the Battle of Mutina. Biography He was a legate of Julius Caesar's sta ...

, consul in 43 BC (Part II) * Paul Kemp - Quintus, Cicero's younger brother *

Joseph Kloska Joseph Anthony Kloska (born 1983) is an English actor. He began his career in radio, moving on to work in television, theatre, and film. Life Named after a Polish grandfather, Teofil Joseph Kloska, who had settled in England, Kloska was brought ...

- Tiro, Cicero's slave and secretary * Patrick Knowles - Cethegus, one of Catiline's allies (Part I) / Dolabella, Tullia's unfaithful husband (Parts I and II) *

- Cicero * Hywel Morgan - Hybrida, Cicero's fellow consul for 63 BC (Part I) / Popillius, Cicero's murderer (Part II) * Lily Nichol - Camilla (Part I) / Calpurnia, Caesar's wife (Part II) *

David Nicolle David C. Nicolle (born 4 April 1944) is a British historian specialising in the military history of the Middle Ages, with a particular interest in the Middle East. David Nicolle worked for BBC Arabic before getting his MA at SOAS, University ...

- Crassus (Part I) /

Pansa The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) started its duty in 2007 as an independent unit, after isolating from "Polish Airports". It is running as a state agency which deals with air traffic management (ATM). PANSA's main obligations an ...

, consul in 43 BC (Part II) * Pierro Niel-Mee -

Clodius Clodius is an alternate form of the Roman '' nomen'' Claudius, a patrician ''gens'' that was traditionally regarded as Sabine in origin. The alternation of ''o'' and ''au'' is characteristic of the Sabine dialect. The feminine form is Clodia. R ...

, Cicero's pupil and later enemy (Part I) /

Agrippa Agrippa may refer to: People Antiquity * Agrippa (mythology), semi-mythological king of Alba Longa * Agrippa (astronomer), Greek astronomer from the late 1st century * Agrippa the Skeptic, Skeptic philosopher at the end of the 1st century * Agri ...

, Octavian's second-in-command (Part II) *

Siobhan Redmond Siobhan Redmond, ( ; born 27 July 1959) is a Scottish actress, a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and known for various stage, audio and television roles. Early life Siobhan Redmond was born on 27 July 1959 in the Tollcross area of ...

Terentia Terentia (; 98 BC – AD 6) was the wife of the renowned orator Marcus Tullius Cicero. She was instrumental in Cicero's political life both as a benefactor and as a fervent activist for his cause. Family background Terentia was born into a wea ...

, Cicero's wife (Parts I and II) / Servilia, Brutus's mother (Part II) *

Patrick Romer Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint * Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

- Isauricus (Part I) /

Piso Piso may refer to: * Lake Piso, Liberia *Philippine peso The Philippine peso, also referred to by its Tagalog name ''piso'' (Philippine English: , , plural pesos; tl, piso ; sign: ₱; code: PHP), is the official currency of the Philip ...

, Caesar's father-in-law (Part II) * Jay Saighal - Numitorius, witness against Verres (Part I) / Caeparius, one of Catiline's allies (Part I) / Decimus, conspirator against Caesar (Part II) * Christopher Saul -

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

(Part I) / Murena, consul in 62 BC (Part I) / Vatia, consul in 48 BC and ally of Octavian (Part II) * Eloise Secker -

Clodia Clodius is an alternate form of the Roman '' nomen'' Claudius, a patrician '' gens'' that was traditionally regarded as Sabine in origin. The alternation of ''o'' and ''au'' is characteristic of the Sabine dialect. The feminine form is Clodia. R ...

, Clodius' sister (Part I) /

Fulvia Fulvia (; c. 83 BC – 40 BC) was an aristocratic Roman woman who lived during the Late Roman Republic. Fulvia's birth into an important political dynasty facilitated her relationships and, later on, marriages to Publius Clodius Pulcher, Gai ...

, Mark Antony's wife (Part II) * Simon Thorp -

Catulus Gaius Lutatius Catulus ( 242–241 BC) was a Roman statesman and naval commander in the First Punic War. He was born a member of the plebeian gens Lutatius. His cognomen "Catulus" means "puppy". There are no historical records of his life ...

(Part I) / Calenus, ally of Mark Antony (Part II)

Cast (Gielgud production)

* Nicholas Armfield - Clodius (Part I) / Agrippa (Part II) *Nicholas Boulton - Celer (Part I) / Cassius (Part II) * Tom Brownlee - Lictor (Part I) / Gladiator 1 (Part II) *Guy Burgess - Verres (Part I) / Sura (Part I) / Lepidus (Part II) *Daniel Burke - Sositheus / Marcus (Part II) *Jade Croot - Tullia *Peter de Jersey - Julius Caesar *Joe Dixon - Catiline (Part I) / Mark Antony (Part II) *John Dougall - Rabirius (Part I) / Metellus Pius (Part I) / Lucullus (Part I) / Brutus (Part II) *Michael Grady-Hall - Cato (Part I) / Hirtius (Part II) *Oliver Johnstone - Rufus / Octavian (Part II) *Paul Kemp - Quintus *Joseph Kloska - Tiro *Patrick Knowles - Cethegus (Part I) / Dolabella (Parts I and II) * Andrew Langton - Numitorius (Part I) / Caeparius (Part I) / Decimus (Part II) *Richard McCabe - Cicero *Hywel Morgan - Hybrida (Part I) / Popillius (Part II) *David Nicolle - Crassus (Part I) / Pansa (Part II) *Siobhan Redmond - Terentia (Parts I and II) / Servilia (Part II) *Patrick Romer - Isauricus (Part I) / Piso (Part II) *Christopher Saul - Pompey (Part I) / Murena (Part I) / Vatia (Part II) *Eloise Secker - Clodia (Part I) / Fulvia (Part II) *Simon Thorp - Catulus (Part I) / Calenus (Part II) * Scott Westwood - Young Officer (Part I) / Gladiator 2 (Part II) * Alisha Williams - Camilla (Part I) / Young Mark Antony (Part I) / Calpurnia (Part II)

References

{{Reflist 2017 plays English plays Adaptations of works by English writers Plays based on works Plays set in ancient Rome English political plays Cultural depictions of Cicero Cultural depictions of Catiline Cultural depictions of Servilia (mother of Brutus) Cultural depictions of Calpurnia (wife of Caesar) Depictions of Julius Caesar in plays Cultural depictions of Augustus