Imperium II: Dictator Tickets

We saw Imperium 1 on August 20th. It was so bad that we gave away the tickets for Imperium 11; noting that to return them would be futile as tickets were being offered at a 70% discount. I can only assume that Imperium was the RSC's attempt to launch a popular blockbuster. It lamentably failed as a serious piece of theatre. Greg Doran & the RSC should reassess whether this is really what they should be producing. Shameful, a view shared by all of our friends who saw it.

The text was fine, the casting and direction dire. From the Grand Circle the hanging globe obscured many entries, and why were all the main characters crude caricatures?

Very cleverly done, we had read Robert Harris's books, lived in Italy for 9 years and have read extensively on Roman history, but felt that for people with less knowledge it was compacted brilliantly. Just don't know how the main actors remember their lines ... 7 hours worth of riveting action

Absolutely riveting brilliant and incredible. Fabulous performances and a fantastic production....Game of Thrones, West Wing all rolled together. Richard McCabe as Cicero and Joseph Kloska as Tiro are breathtakingly brilliant. All the cast were fantastic but my god....what a script!

Much better than the first part. Characters were deeper and Octavian in particular was excellent.

Brilliant..........!!!!!!!!!!!!Wonderful show.................good writing...good actors......a theatrical experience no to be missed

I loved it! I had read the books and was totally convinced by the stage performance. I also and always admire your actors. I came specially from Vienna to see it and I do go to the theater a lot. The only small thing I could criticize if anything at all was the a little too much shrieking by too many caracters: sometimes speaking softly feels much more evil than shouting.

Very sharp dialogue. A truly great experience.

Really enjoyed it especially the staging and "battle" choreography done in a small space; maybe all the breaks weren't strictly necessary

An absolutely brilliant production: adaptation, staging, acting were all exemplary, and it was a day (seeing both parts in succession) of excitement, interest and pathos like none other in my memory.

Absolutely thrilling theatre experience! We saw Imperium I and couldn't wait to go back and see Imperium II. Probably the best theatre production we have seen for many years - Richard McCabe is superb in the main role and the whole cast of both plays are truly magnificent. It was a totally special experience we shall remember for many years.

You have to pace yourself to watch Imperium I and II on the same day, but it is well worth it. The actors and production kept me interested and engaged throughout. The plays could not demonstrate the agony, uncertainty and length of time of Cicero’s various exiles because a play requires action, but this was made up for by the life they brought to the story. All the actors were excellent but especially Cicero and Tiro. Their asides and grimaces to the audience drew us all in. At the end of nearly 7 hours in the theatre, everyone round me was so happy with their experience.