Lorenzaccio

Alfred de Musset’s 1832 play depicts Lorenzo de Medici, the 16th-century Florentine nobleman who killed his tyrannical cousin but did not establish a republican government afterwards and was forever disgraced by a debaucherous past. “Impressive. A sleek, stirring adaptation … LORENZACCIO is a civic tragedy, charting the cruel decline of a formerly free city-state … Recounted by … playwright John Strand with clarity and directness, Musset’s story of a society cowed by and despairing over its political leadership seems an apt one to tell just now. Its bitter conclusion is designed as a final dagger to the spirit … LORENZACCIO speaks to our time, loud and clear.” -Peter Marks, The Washington Post “Inherently dramatic, the stakes being so high and the game so dangerous. [Yet] humor still finds its way to the surface through Strand’s script … LORENZACCIO may be a play for our time in the way that it was in 1833. But whether we choose to see it in a modern light, the play is a masterpiece for all times.” -Margaret Lawrence, The Star-Exponent “The play connects electrically and viscerally to our times … Splendid, powerful and affecting … Strand hits just the right mark in this almost grand guignol tale of power, politics, murder, courage and betrayal in Renaissance Italy.” -Gary Tischler, The Georgetowner “If only George W Bush could have seen the gripping 19th-century French drama LORENZACCIO before being sworn in as commander-in-chief. Musset’s play centers on the assassination of a tyrant. There’s an occupying army detested by its citizenry. And there’s the utter lack of a day-after plan once the repressive regime has been toppled, plunging the country into chaos. Sound familiar?” -Mary Carole McCauley, The Baltimore Sun “French playwright Alfred de Musset’s LORENZACCIO has long been a fixture in French theater but the 1833 play is seldom performed in the U S. One chief reason is the absence of an English translation that addresses its unwieldy structure. Consider the problem fixed in this nicely accessible version from playwright John Strand. A welcome addition to American theater of one of France’s cultural pillars.” -Paul Harris, Variety