The Romans in Britain

The Romans in Britain
The Romans in Britain
	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.

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

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[1] 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

[2] Robertson, Geoffrey (1999). The Justice Game. London: Vintage. ISBN 978-0-09-958191-8.

[1]

[2]

v t Works by Howard Brenton
Major plays	Christie in Love Magnificence The Churchill Play Weapons of Happiness Epsom Downs The Romans in Britain Bloody Poetry Greenland Paul In Extremis Never So Good Anne Boleyn 55 Days Drawing the Line Doctor Scroggy's War Lawrence After Arabia
With David Hare	Pravda
Television	Dead Head
See also	Portable Theatre Company

The Romans in Britain

Contents

Stage history[]

See also[]

References[]

Bibliography[]

External links[]