OVERVIEW

• Playwright

  Alex Johnston 

• Adapted / Translated From

  Christopher Marlowe

• Author Notes

  Adapted from Christopher Marlowe's play The Massacre at Paris.

• Synopsis

  Christopher Marlowe's play, The Massacre at Paris, was written in 1593 about the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, when three thousand Protestants were killed in one night in 1572, in a ruthless act of state terrorism by the Catholic government. The aftermath of this massacre led to the murder of a king and a sea-change in French history. Alex Johnston's adaptation enhances Marlowe's play for the 21st century, using a mixture of new and borrowed material. Terrorism, ethnic cleansing, the politics of bigotry, corruption in high office, spin doctoring and party political broadcasts augment this withering examination of human frailty.

• Play Type

  Adaptation/Translation
  

  Number Of Acts

  Full-Length

Cast size

• Male

  11

• Female

  5

• Total

  16

• Cast Notes

  Cast doubling is possible. In the original production various other unspecified parts were also played by five actors. See original production for details.

Original Production

• Date of First Production

  05 September 2002

• Producer

  Produced by Bedrock

• Original Venue

  Project Arts Centre
  

Source Of Information

The information for this entry was taken from the original production programme and promotional flyer.