By Jeff Kubik
Today, the ribald exploits of the British royal family are exposed in tabloids across the world. Sex, intrigue and powerful personalities sell papers to an audience that craves sensationalism. In the imperial court of ancient Rome, Emperor Nero put them all to shame. Nero would have been a tabloid god.
Britannicus, the latest production by Theatre Junction, is the story of the clandestine game of power politics played by the Roman aristocracy. Written by seventeenth century French playwright Jean Racine, it reveals the terrible price paid for power in a world where even blood does not run as thickly as desire.
Emperor Nero (Michael Shultz) is a man alone, isolated by his paranoia and greed. While his mother, Agrippina (Darcy Dunlop), rages at his lack of filial respect and the reduction in her own power that this entails, his stepbrother Britannicus (Adam Joe) plots to restore his place on the Roman throne. Caught in a web of deception orchestrated by their own ambitions, the royal family seems caught in a cycle of betrayal and mistrust that threatens their lives and the security of the empire itself.
Only Junia (Meg Roe), whose relation to the great Caesar Augustus threatens Nero’s tenuous grasp on power, seems immune to the destructive lust for power. Her love for Britannicus rises above the political maneuvering and mistrust. However, Nero’s desire is insatiable, and soon threatens both Junia and Britannicus.
Britannicus is a powerful tragedy written to portray agonizing pain and fierce desire, and Theatre Junction’s production owes much of this power to an excellent cast and crew. As Agrippina, Darcy Dunlop shows the face of a woman whose desperate drive for the helm of the Roman Empire has left her shaking behind an impossibly strong façade. Iron-willed and desperate, her compelling performance personified the political angst of a government controlled more by emotion than reason.
Special attention is also owed to the set and lighting design by David Gaucher and Darrell Moore. Metallic walls serve to accentuate the iron wills that constitute this Machiovellian drama, and while outside, the days pass from dawn to dusk.
While Brittanicus is a seventeenth century French play following a court drama hundreds of years old, its illustration of the greed that surrounds the pursuit for power is still compelling.
Britannicus plays at Theatre Junction until Dec. 14. For tickets, call 205-2922.