The Roman Bath

Synopsis

Ivan returns from a trip to the seaside to find his home torn apart. Builders have unearthed a lost treasure beneath his floorboards: an ornate bath dating back to Roman times. As the excavation destroys his flat, professors, businessman with dodgy Swiss connections, local councillors, reporters and even the national union of lifeguards set up camp. Everyone wants to claim the discovery - while all Ivan wants is some peace.

Our Review:

Michael Coveney - 4 May 2010

A metaphorical Bulgarian farce might not sound like a recipe for a good night out, but Stanislav Stratiev’s 1974 The Roman Bath, wittily adapted by Justin Butcher from a literal translation by producer Anna Karabinska-Ganev, is an engaging, pungent satire on finding yourself stateless in your own home.

The play is a product of the Cold War era, and Russell Bolam’s production retains the period “feel” of bleak, bottom-line austerity, as an innocent office-worker, Ivan Antonov, returns from a holiday by the sea to find his apartment invaded by builders, officials and a television crew.

It turns out that the flat he was born in is the site of a Roman bath complete with naked matrons dating from the reign of the Emperor “Pimpilianus” and therefore of immense cultural significance. He tries to get on with his life while becoming a spectator to its dismantling in the name of excavat...

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