When a show is billed as “a rich palimpsest of history” and promises to take in a staggering two millennia of conflict, you’ll probably find us prior to the production’s premiere thumbing the pages of an encyclopaedia – or trawling through Wikipedia – trying to swot up on the play’s subject.
This time, we’re saved this fate, thanks to the video above from Shakespeare’s Globe in which playwright David Eldridge explains that we won’t need any specialist knowledge about international politics or medieval history to enjoy his latest drama. Phewph!
The play we’re talking about is, of course, Holy Warriors, which opens at the Bankside venue later this month. A tale of holy war, fraught diplomacy and revenge in the struggle for Jerusalem, James Dacre’s production covers everything from the Roman army to George W Bush.
As Eldridge and cast members including Alexander Siddig, Jolyon Coy and Geraldine Alexander prepare for the show’s first preview this weekend, take a look at the video and find out about how the audience will be involved and what it’s like for Siddig to play someone infinitely more charismatic than himself. His words, not ours.
You can also get a sneaky peek into how preparations are going by checking out a selection of Marc Brenner’s images from the rehearsal room by clicking on the gallery tab.