Believe What You Will

Synopsis

A Middle Easter leader comes out of hiding to reclaim his identity. Denied of his crown and denounced by the Roman Empire, he flees for his life. Rome pursues, threatening any country he turns to with sanctions, violence and conquest. Which Sovereign State will defy the Empire?

Our Review:

2 February 2006

My colleague Pete Wood welcomed the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Believe What You Will when the play was unearthed at Stratford-upon-Avon last summer, and now that this valuable (and apparently timelessly topical) theatrical excavation has transferred to London, I see no reason to dispute his verdict. Written in 1631 and set in the Roman Empire but full of contemporary resonance today about rulers with unchecked imperialist ambitions, the RSC is seriously stretching the repertoire of fascinating classical plays in this season, and the plays have fitted like a glove into the West End’s intimate (but still desperately uncomfortable) Trafalgar Studios. It seems perverse that, having gone to the trouble of finding such riches, a play like this is only scheduled for a run of less than a fortnight, as all the plays in this transfer season have been. But at least we're getting the chance to see them at all. Book quickly. - Mark Shenton NOTE: The foll...

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