Caryl Churchill’s new 20-minute play Triumph opened at London’s Almeida Theatre, offering an elliptical drama that skewers contemporary authoritarianism through historical analogy drawn directly from Suetonius’s The Twelve Caesars, The Guardian reported. Running until October 23, the production features a romance between a female press officer who defends an emperor and her lover.
Imperial Analogy and Modern Autocracy at the Almeida Theatre
In James Macdonald’s production, actress Kate O’Flynn wears a blond wig and speaks in an overtly American accent. The staging draws visual parallels to the most recent White House incumbent, Katie Zacharia. The press officer initially promotes the emperor’s achievements, including imported British pearls and gold from Gaul, before discovering the regime’s atrocities, such as prisoners trapped in cages and sawn in half.
When she exposes these monstrosities on camera, she avoids retribution and instead watches her ratings rocket. “The people like a strong emperor,” she is told. The play’s historical parallels stem directly from Roman texts, including Caligula’s threat to cut a spouse’s throat and Tiberius’s whimsical sadism involving a fisherman’s scarred face. These historical abuses mirror modern statecraft, reflecting real-world events where western governments commit extreme acts while smoothing them over with media presentation.
From Early Expansive Dramas to Cosmic Minimalism
The concise nature of Triumph highlights a distinct evolution in Churchill’s playwriting career. In the 1970s and 1980s, she employed expansive theatrical devices to examine societal defects. Cloud 9, first staged in 1979 and slated for revival by the National Theatre, explored Victorian Anglo-Saxon attitudes and imperialist supremacy linked to sexual dominance. Top Girls, appearing in 1982, targeted the Thatcherite ethos by examining whether women adopting male success ethics was worthwhile, culminating in a visceral showdown between Marlene and her working-class sister, Joyce.
Other major works from that era included 1987’s Serious Money, a satire on the City of London’s greed-is-good philosophy. By contrast, Churchill’s later works embrace formal brevity and a bleak worldview characterized as cosmic minimalism. Far Away, premiering in 2000, anticipated localised fascism and global conflict, while 2002’s A Number explored human identity through cloning against the backdrop of scientific advancement. Similarly, 2016’s Escaped Alone placed quotidian chatter among women alongside a septuagenarian’s apocalyptic visions of flood, fire, and starvation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Triumph
Where is Triumph currently playing?
The play is running at the Almeida Theatre in London until October 23.
How long is the performance?
The production runs for just 20 minutes as a piece of explosive minimalism.
Which historical text inspired the play’s narrative?
Churchill drew the emperor’s crimes directly from Suetonius’s ancient text, The Twelve Caesars.
Who directs the production at the Almeida?
James Macdonald directs the play, leading a creative team that features Kate O’Flynn as the press officer.
,%20Amaka%20Okafor%20(Guildenstern)%20and%20Calum%20Finlay%20(Rosencrantz)_credit%20Manuel%20Harlan_HR.jpg "Hamlet production london almeida andrew scott (hamlet), amaka okafor (guildenstern) and calum finlay (rosencrantz) credit man")
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