Heliogabalus: A Buffoonery in Three Acts

Set against the glittering atrium of the Palatine palace, the play opens on the night before New Year’s Day, 221 AD, where the eccentric Emperor Heliogabalus presides over a court of extravagant wives, scheming officials, and a colorful assortment of servants, physicians, and even a pickpocket. The cast of characters—ranging from a devout Christian maiden to a gaudy Greek courtier—promises a lively tableau of Roman excess and absurdity, all filtered through a sharply comic lens.

In the first act, the audience is drawn into a marble‑clad hall with a shallow pool, a skylight, and a throne‑like chair draped in imperial purple. As the stout major‑domo Rufinius greets two physicians, Piso and Polorus, their banter over wine, peanuts, and sleepless nights quickly reveals the court’s bizarre priorities. Their witty repartee sets the tone for a satire that skewers power, pretension, and the theatricality of imperial life.

Spanning three acts that follow the emperor through a year of indulgent misrule, the drama balances historical backdrop with farcical moments, inviting listeners to laugh at the chaos while glimpsing the fragile humanity beneath the spectacle.