The Romans in Britain
The Romans in Britain | |
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![]() Poster designed by Richard Bird advertising the original 1980 National Theatre production. | |
Written by | Howard Brenton |
Date premiered | 16 October 1980 |
Place premiered | The National Theatre, London |
Original language | English |
Setting | North of the River Thames (55 BC) Britain (515 AD) Ireland (1980 AD) |
The Romans in Britain is a 1980 stage play by Howard Brenton that comments upon imperialism and the abuse of power. It was the subject of a private prosecution for gross indecency.
A cast of thirty actors play sixty roles.
Stage history[]
The play was first staged at the National Theatre in London on 16 October 1980. In 1982 it became the focus of an unsuccessful private prosecution by Christian morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse against the play's director Michael Bogdanov relating to the on-stage depiction of homosexual rape.[1] This prosecution was defeated when Whitehouse's solicitor, Graham Ross-Cornes, the chief witness against Bogdanov, revealed under cross-examination that he had been sitting at the very back of the theatre when he saw what was claimed to be a penis. The prosecution withdrew after lead defence counsel Jeremy Hutchinson QC demonstrated that Ross-Cornes could have witnessed the actor's thumb protruding from his fist. The case was ended after the Attorney-General entered a nolle prosequi.[2]
Actor-director Samuel West revived the play in 2006 at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, starring Tom Mannion as Julius Caesar and Dan Stevens as Marban the Druid.
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Mark Lawson, She claimed that there was a wider threat to society and that men might be "so stimulated" by watching the scene in the Olivier that they would "commit attacks on young boys"."Passion play", The Guardian, 28 October 2005
- ^ Robertson, Geoffrey (1999). The Justice Game. London: Vintage. ISBN 978-0-09-958191-8.
Bibliography[]
- Howard Brenton, The Romans in Britain (London: Eyre Methuen, 1980) ISBN 0-413-46590-X
External links[]
- Mediawatch formally the National Viewers and Listeners Association (campaign group), opinion article.
- Look Back in Anger The Guardian, January 2006, feature article.
- Review round-up about the 2006 Sheffield production
- From the archive, 19 March 1982: The Romans in Britain obscenity trial dropped From The Guardian
- British plays
- 1980 plays
- 1982 in the United Kingdom
- Rape in fiction
- 1980s play stubs