Romulus the Great
Closed 2h 30m
Romulus the Great
65

Romulus the Great NYC Reviews and Tickets

65%
(26 Ratings)
Positive
46%
Mixed
31%
Negative
23%
Members say
Disappointing, Slow, Ambitious, Entertaining, Quirky

About the Show

A historical comedy without historic basis, Friedrich Dürrenmatt's absurdist re-imagining of Romulus the Great sees the Roman emperor choose not to be 'great' at all.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (26)

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302 Reviews | 87 Followers
95
Hilarious, Great acting, Great writing, Great staging, Resonant

See it if you like Monte Python genre political satire and understand parallel to current political events, English spoken rapidly, and Roman history.

Don't see it if you cannot sit for 2 hrs. with 1 interval, do not understand English spoken rapidly or political satire, or prefer musicals to comedy/drama. Read more

114 Reviews | 9 Followers
89
Entertaining, Intelligent, Funny, Profound, Thought-provoking

See it if you relish intelligent tragicomedies inspired by historical events that, under cover of satire, transmit a profound message.

Don't see it if if plays that straddle the satirical and philosophical realms by using characters from Roman antiquity would not appeal to you.

683 Reviews | 161 Followers
88
Well designed, Smart, Absurd, Political, Philosophical

See it if you have an interest in Theater of the Absurd, Brecht’s descendants, philosophical theater, parables of power or the postwar European psyche

Don't see it if you have no taste for theater that is not a naturalistic story. Read more

68 Reviews | 15 Followers
78
Absorbing, Ambitious, Great writing, Intelligent, Clever

See it if you are interested in Roman history that is heightened, exaggerated and presented as farce. Broadway quality set and design.

Don't see it if you have no interest in history or works by the great Swiss author, Friedrich Dürrenmatt and if you don't want to laugh at the absurdity.

69 Reviews | 19 Followers
75
Quirky, Slow, Thought-provoking, Funny, Entertaining

See it if You enjoy the drawn out lead up to a punchline and an intense enndig.

Don't see it if You are not ready to sit through the slower first act and to enjoy the build up to the 'punchline'. Read more

524 Reviews | 133 Followers
75
History satire based on classic play

See it if Large cast in wonderful costumes romps through the late Roman Empire. Adaptation of a German play that reads like a Shaw history play.

Don't see it if over-acting bothers you, but it's part of the satire. Some of the script is repetitive. The Emperor's fondness for chickens is priceless.

755 Reviews | 145 Followers
75
Entertaining, Clever, Funny, Absorbing, Great staging

See it if It's funny at times. I mean if you're interested in the time. But you don't really have to even like the time to see this.

Don't see it if Well it's kind of long and if you really hate this time Read more

563 Reviews | 193 Followers
72
Ambitious, Dated, Great staging, Relevant, Slow

See it if You want a non-historical, satire of old politics that's relevant to new politics. You want to see a rarely-seen classical play.

Don't see it if You prefer contemporary political satire. You want a revised classical play. You want an equally trained classical cast-some good, some not. Read more

Critic Reviews (1)

The Theatre Times
June 22nd, 2018

“The spirit on stage, where Chika Shimizu’s geometrically spare set incorporates palace and chicken coop with a feel for pop-art imperium, is farcical and more than a little absurdist. Especially with that opening dance routine...The play, perhaps, invites immediate analogy to whatever conditions it is produced under...English translation by Nellhaus, which can feel a bit talky rather than succinct at times, making some actors spit out lines too quickly for good diction.”
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