Sejanus: His Fall

This show has now closed, click here for a listing of current and future London shows

Play Opened 18 January 2006, Closed 28 January 2006

Trafalgar Studios 1 At the Whitehall Theatre, Whitehall, London

"Blush not, Sejanus, thou great aid of Rome, Let us not force thy simple modesty. With off’ring at thy praise." Sejanus His Fall Act I Scene iii

The Emperor Tiberius raises a statue to honour Sejanus, unaware that his right hand man is ruthlessly working his way to the top, destroying everyone in his path. No one can stop him, but his fall is inevitable.

Sejanus: His Fall was written by Ben Jonson. This production for The Royal Shakespeare Company is directed by Gregory Doran and was previously seen at The Swan Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon during the 2005 Festival Season.

"Gregory Doran's production, performed in rough hessian togas, does not strain to underline any modern relevance, nor does it need to because this proves (with some cuts) to be a gripping, essentially timeless drama about power-crazed political machinations and corruption... There are loose ends... Jonson's last-minute attempt to turn the villain's death, at the hands of the mob, into a cause for grief is jolting. Sejanus isn't as poetically soaring as Marlowe's comparable over-reachers either. Yet it's an enthralling and superbly directed evening, played out against simple sandstone columns and ornate iron grilles (designed by Robert Jones)... Recommended." The Independent on Sunday

"It is a treat to see the Royal Shakespeare Company in such fine condition" The London Evening Standard

"Doran's vision for Sejanus proves that Jonson's 1603 play has more to offer than dry classical politics and marble-cold historical reconstruction. In fact, there is so much dynamic plotting and conspiratorial rushing about that those in the aisle seats could catch a chill from the draft of all those togas gusting past... Jonson's play is a serious, sobering take on the structures of power - those who have it, those who want it those who are utterly impotent - but Doran is unafraid to bolster the play with the kind of florid detail post-I Claudius audiences expect from their Roman capers." The Sunday Times

"The mastery of Gregory Doran's magnificent production lies in its blend of psychology and politics... What truly exhilarates is the rediscovery of a play that shows Jonson's understanding of both the practical mechanics and insane corruption of power" The Guardian

"The play, virtually unperformed for 400 years, is surprising in its modernity, and in Jonson's unsentimental take on realpolitik, which might make Donald Rumsfeld blush. Thanks to these qualities, Gregory Doran's swords-and-sandals staging should avoid the fate of its 1603 counterpart - Sejanus flopped on its debut. But topicality is no substitute for rip-snorting drama, which the play doesn't consistently provide... Because the good guys are such a feckless bunch, and the baddies fairly shallow, there are few opportunities for emotional engagement with this pessimistic play." The Observer