The Emperor Jones
by Eugene O'Neill
Ain't a man's talking big what makes him big – long as he makes folk believe it? Sure I talks large when I ain't got nothing to back it up.Southern American ex-convict, Brutus Jones, aided by his double-crossing British ally, Smithers, connives his way into an uncompromising dictatorship over a remote island in the West Indies. Faced with a terrifying people's revolt, the delusional Emperor escapes to the dark forest and a promise of salvation.
But in the searing heat and to the ominous pulse of his trackers' drums, Jones is driven to make his way through every lead bullet in his gun, right down to the silver one he is saving for himself.
O'Neill's controversial 1920 play is by turns shocking and mesmerising. Thea Sharrock's production for The Gate was a theatrical highlight of 2005 and she now reconceives it for the Olivier, with Paterson Joseph reprising one of the most critically acclaimed performances of recent years.
'Paterson Joseph gives a brilliant tour de force as the island dictator.' Independent
From 22 August
Originally developed and produced by The Gate, London
The Emperor Jones finished on: 31 October 2007
