MACHIAVELLI:
the art of terror
A new play by Robert Cohen
(Formerly “The Prince”)
The play (under the title The Prince) premiered at
the California Repertory Theatre. It has since been professionally
staged by the Pittsburgh Playhouse, the Hayworth Theatre in
Los Angeles, in Hungarian at the Madach Theatre in Budapest,
and forthcoming in 2010 (in Romanian) at the State Theatre of
Arad. It has also received staged readings at the Manhattan
Theatre Source and the Hollywood Matrix Theatre. Reviews (see
below) have been excellent.
An early version of the script (as “The Prince”)
has been published in Plays International in England and in
individual book form by the Dramatic Publishing Company in America,
which holds the amateur performance rights for the English version.
A Romanian individual book edition of the final version, with
its current title, was published in October 2009.
The play takes place in the early 1500s, and centers on Machiavelli’s
infatuation with terrorist-general (and Papal son) Cesare Borgia
and his eventual emergence, after torture and betrayals, as
a political essayist and rueful comic playwright.
Review
Excerpts
“A
perversely funny morality play in which love and democracy triumph
over brute force and political manipulations... Well acted,
surprisingly lighthearted.”
--Los Angeles Times
From
the 2006 Los Angeles production:
“A
fascinating rumination on the seductiveness of power, playwright-director
Robert Cohen’s historical drama follows the career of
Niccolo Machiavelli. A layered, literate work… commenting
on the frightening ease with which we shed our humanity [with]
subtle portrayals of normal folk trapped by history’s
horrors.” Rating:GO! -LAWeekly
“…revisits Niccolò Machiavelli with an eye
toward accessibility and balancing history’s biases. [In]
this intriguing study, Cohen addresses the challenges of dramatizing
history through conversational dialogue with a decidedly current-day
tone. The literate timeliness is fascinating.” Rating:RECOMMENDED!
—Los Angeles Times
“The duplicity of Machiavelli’s accomplishments
is explored …with unmistakable intelligence and an extra
dollop of both the poetry and vulgarity of the era. This is
a fascinating new play, subtly damning of our current political
miasma and worthy of a future presented in larger and more affluent
spaces.” —Backstage
"
*****…proof that there’s still great
theatre here in Southern California. Extremely accessible to
general audiences, Machiavelli is an enjoyable, informative
show that also serves as a cautionary tale for our time, [and]
resonate[s] across five hundred years. A tight, tense piece
of drama: Five stars out of five.” —Showfax
“Machiavelli’s seduction into power games by Cesare
Borgia, followed by a grim comeuppance, fascinates.” -City
Beat
“…a fine example of a time where the near Renaissance
period had its art, power struggles and inquisitions”
—Accessibly Live
– Off Line.
From
previous productions:
“Royally
entertaining! An extraordinary play, dark, extremely literate,
cogent, provocative, well crafted [and] extremely entertaining…
Sparks of electricity fly through the air.” —Long
Beach Independent Press-Telegram
“Run to your phone and get tickets to this outstanding
world premiere... Thought provoking yet funny, political yet
personal, timely yet timeless, Cohen’s script is funny,
insightful, fast-paced and compelling. This is a play of words
and ideas, and Cohen comes up with spell-binding combinations
of both, managing to be ‘deep’ and wonderfully irreverent
at once. A wonderful script...” —Beach
Business Journal
“Cohen’s striking new play... is rich with historical
significance and brilliant dialogue, [and] opens a fascinating
chapter in political history that resonates through time...
[with] some of the best dialogue to come down the pike.”
—Grunion Gazette
“…delightfully witty and dramatic. This contrast
between humor and eloquence makes this dark and insightful comedy
hugely entertaining. [Cohen’] classic tale... meshes boundaries
of the political tactics of the 1500s and the reality of politics
today.” —On-Line Forty-Niner
“Cohen’s tight script is propelled by words: poignant
words, beautiful in the way they describe utterly barbaric acts
and their callous justification. The complex story is focused
and powerful.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“An extraordinary production [of] one of the most interesting
plays in today’s theatre repertoire. The main characters
give… stunningly forceful performances… With extraordinary
sensibility, the play makes Machiavelli’s transformation
from slave to master of political machinations entirely believable,
[forcing] the audience to think and contemplate. This captivating
production will be impossible to forget.” —Relax-Szinhaz
(Budapest production)
“… a compelling dramatization of Machiavelli’s
political life… If you love politics and history and are
a nut for psychology, do not miss this play.” —Orange
County Register
“An insightful, probing, sometimes disturbing but always
fascinating look into the life and transformations of a historical
figure feared and loathed… The scenes play out as if one
were witnessing history in the making. —Irvine
World News
“A stirring and effective chronicle about Niccolo Macchiavelli…
[whose] modern speech is as incongruous as the modern speech
in “The Lion in Winter,” and equally effective.
Theatrically exciting… grabs the stage and doesn’t
let go…” —Los Angeles Times (Long
Beach production)
“In Cohen’s play, Borgia is a dangerous charmer,
bloody but sharp-witted and extremely funny, [who] leaps from
the page in Cohen’s eventful, fast-moving script.”
—Los Angeles Times (preview
of Irvine production)
“Provocative drama with subtle humor… well-written
and extremely entertaining… comedic genius… authentic
feel… phenomenal directing.” —The
New University (Irvine production).
