The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced casting for the upcoming productions of Imperium parts one and two. Richard McCabe will take on the role of Cicero in Mike Poulton’s adaptations of Robert Harris’ novels alongside Siobhan Redmond as Terentia, Cicero’s wife. Joseph Kloska will play Cicero’s servant Tiro, who narrates their adventures.
The rest of the cast includes Nicholas Boulton, Guy Burgess, Daniel Burke, Jade Croot, Peter De Jersey, Joe Dixon, John Dougall, Michael Grady Hall, Oliver Johnstone, Paul Kemp, Patrick Knowles, Hywel Morgan, Lily Nichol, Piero Niel Mee, David Nicolle, Patrick Romer, Jay Saighal, Christopher Saul, Eloise Secker and Simon Thorp.
For the uninitiated, Imperium might well seem like a big ask – 2 parts, each of which consist of 3 plays, making it a grab for the kind of event theatre that attracts headlines. Conspirator follows Cicero as he is elected consul by the Roman people and how Caitline, his rival, refuses to accept the results. In Dictator, Cicero has retired from politics and when Julius Caesar is assassinated, he tries to stop Mark Antony from creating a dictatorship.
Imperium Part I: Conspirator and Imperium Part II: Dictator will run at the Swan Theatre from 16th November to 10th February.