Review: DOMITIUS, Conway Hall

"Do you think I care for the souls of the poor?" is something that could come straight from a private conversation in Downing Street these days, but on this occasion it dates back to the first century in Domitius, a brand new musical about the fifth emperor of Rome: Nero. Born as Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus before he became Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, he's quite the controversial figure in Roman history - like many politicians.

A peculiar dude, the initial, healthier part of his reign is obscured by the tyranny and horrifying persecution that characterise his later ruling years. Contrary to popular belief, he definitely wasn't mad (like many sources and historians described him over the centuries) or even particularly cruel for his time. He was, however, very paranoid and towards the end of his life (he was 31 when he killed himself) he hid away in his palace to focus on music and art - his big passions.

The company behind Domitius take this nugget of his personality and turns Nero into a diva, a young man who was forced to rule but had big dreams of being an artist and an entertainer. Henry Gu Cao, Lux Knightley, and Luke McCormick write the show, with Knightley and McCormick directing as well.

They introduce a scornful, spoilt, egotistical, vain ruler portrayed by Max Himmelreich. The actor is tremendous in the role. With looks that are a mix of Oliver Ormson (soon to be seen in Frozen) and Sam Heughan (a huge compliment as the real Nero wasn't a looker at all), plus a remarkable vocal range, he carries the show.

The secondary characters in Nero's life circle around him. Stewart Briggs is Seneca the Younger; he tries to hold his pupil on the right path, but fails miserably with perfect voice control and an empathetic approach to the philosopher. Nicolle Smart, Hannah Kiss, and Judy Blu are Agrippina (his mother), Octavia (his wife), and Poppaea (his mistress).

The three women have influence over the young alleged pyromaniac and drag all his misogyny out of him in unveiled waves of horror. After committing matricide, he repudiates and kills his first bride, and eventually (on stage, at least - the real historical events suggest this didn't happen) murders his once-mistress-now-wife in a fit of rage. He must have been a joy to have around.

The musical, just like his namesake, has grandiose ambitions. The quality of material and performance is absolutely extraordinary. However, as a whole, Domitius loses itself trying to do too much at once. It tries to keep hold and deliver so many political developments and issues that the dialogues dwindle down to verbose addresses that sound contrived and lengthy. Roman history is convoluted and can be very confusing if mishandled.

The writers also opt to walk the edge of comedy and drama. Gu Cao and Knightley ace both of them exceptionally, inserting hilarious pop culture references as well as substantial character-led ballads. However, the back-and-forth between the two poles creates a troublesome dissonance here. The more tragic parts are weighted down by unnecessary expositions that sound unnatural, while the comedy acts as if its dramatic relative isn't part of the production at all.

Composers Knightley and McCormick create an eclectic score that goes from rock to pop, but generally land on traditional musical theatre tunes. While this makes the show sound epic and expensive, none of the numbers are sadly memorable and even the ditties are bookended by overly wordy pieces.

As a whole, Domitius has so much potential that it feels wrong to reduce it to a three-star show. The value of the material is outstanding for a debuting team of writers, and the performance is ferocious in its quality. They just need to decide if they want their baby to be a comedy or a tragedy, and expand that side of it. Plus, it would be a shame to let such a deliciously dramatic ending go to waste and not develop it further.

Domitius runs at Conway Hall until 8 August.

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