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STOP PRESS 2 - REVIEWS
The first reviews have been published for the latest Traverse Theatre Company production Carhtage Must Be Destroyed and they make for great reading:

"a serious exploration of the eroticism of power, the like of which hasn’t been since Howard Barker’s grander works… Electrifyingly played on the reflective loss of Kenny Miller’s set, Lorne Campbell’s production reveals a fantastically ambitious treatise on the fickle nature of power itself.

As Cato, Tony Guilfoyle is a tightly-coiled moralist, and Damian Lynch's Marcus an increasingly smart operator. Sean Campion's Gregor, though, is a remarkable study of one man's rise and fall. From brazen self-serving hedonist to a gibbering shambles of his former glory, his late grasp of morality becomes a symbol of how empires totter. In Wilkins' world, Carthage may be destroyed, but this Rome burns with vigorous intent."
(The Herald, 1 May 2007, ****)
Read the full review from The Herald by clicking here

"A mature, meaty, politically astute historical drama… Kenny Miller’s set design is simple yet sumptuous. Comparisons with today’s War On Terror are skilfully suggested rather than crowbarred in, and Campion and Guilfoyle both turn in powerhouse performances... a gripping indictment of the corruptions of Empire."
(Metro, 1 May 2007, ****)

"If it’s relevance they want, they should all head for the Traverse in Edinburgh to watch Alan Wilkins’s engrossing new play about power, politics, and decadence… Tony Guilfoyle as Cato, oozing menace and moral superiority through every pore, and Damian Lynch, as the silvery-tongued, sleek but shifty Gregor, are in tremendous form, circling one another like prizefighters. If you find the theatre of politics hard to resist, this production is highly recommended."

(The Times 2 May 2007, ****, Click here to read the full review)

"The performances in Lorne Campbell's production have tremendous authority, allowing the modern-day resonances to chime. It is a long, hot and serious evening in the theatre, but the most accomplished of recent attempts to wrestle with the political mindset."
(The Guardian 2 May 2007, ****, Click here to read the full review)

STOP PRESS 1 - PREVIEWS & INTERVIEWS
Find out more about Carthage Must Be Destroyed in these feature articles in The Scotsman and The List magazine:
The Scotman
The List

50 years after the ravages of Hannibal, the Roman Republic is doing well. That is, fine.

Taxes have risen and there doesn’t seem to be as much money around for wine, villas and boys with good complexions. The Senate is under pressure to make Rome rich again. Consul Cato is a practical man and knows Carthage is the solution. If the Senate hears a clamour of voices against the old enemy, order could be restored.

Carthage has too much money. Carthage is stockpiling weapons. Carthage is a threat to Rome. Delenda est Carthago - Carthage Must Be Destroyed!

Cato thinks Senator Gregor is just the man to put the wheels into motion. He’s practiced in the art of having just enough power to guarantee privilege without ever having so much that it brings responsibility.

Gregor is about to encounter the sharp end of politics…

Set against the backdrop of the Third Punic War, Alan Wilkins’ Carthage Must Be Destroyed is a compelling story of political intrigue, double dealing and the ruthless realities of taking a nation to war.

Alan Wilkins’ first Traverse Theatre commission The Nest - an intriguing story of Munro bagging - was a sell out during its 2004 Edinburgh run and Highlands & Islands tour. Alan is playwright-mentor for the Traverse Theatre’s Young Writers’ Group and represented Scotland as a tutor playwright at the 2006 Interplay festival in Lichtenstein. In the last two years he has worked as a writer/actor/collaborator on projects for ek productions, Dundee Rep Theatre, City Moves, Visible Fictions and Aldeburgh Festival. He is currently a playwright tutor for the MA Theatre Studies course at Glasgow University.


Writers Workshop Sat 17 Feb
Audio described performance & Touch Tour Sat 19 May (7.15pm touch tour/8pm performance)
Sign language interpreted performance Sat 19 May (8pm)
stagetext captioned performance Thu 17 May
(Find out more information on stagetext by clicking here)

Audio described, signed and stagetext captioned performances at the Traverse are generously supported by the Lloyds TSB Foundation.

Director Lorne Campbell
Designer Kenny Miller
Lighting Designer Renny Robertson
Composer Philip Pinsky
Cast Sean Campion, Paul-James Corrigan, Tony Guilfoyle, Damian Lynch
Running Time 2 hours 45 minutes including one interval. Please note that due to technical requirements, it will be necessary for all audience members to leave the theatre during the interval.

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(Production Photography: Richard Campbell)

(Publicity Image: Laurence Winram with special thanks to the National Galleries of Scotland)

A mature, meaty, politically astute historical drama. (Metro)

If you find the theatre of politics hard to resist, this production is highly recommended. (The Times)

It is a long, hot and serious evening in the theatre, but the most accomplished of recent attempts to wrestle with the political mindset. (The Guardian)