As its title indicates, this is a knockabout musical comedy with a farcical undertone and satirical elements. Think G&S meets Monty Python. The setting is ancient Rome in its age of decadence. In trouble militarily, economically and morally. Ring a bell?
Copyright '2009 John Cundill & Paul Coppens
What it's all about!
Mark Antony, a poor provincial boy, arrives in ancient Rome on the world’s first bicycle. At first the two-wheel contraption is treated with scorn and derision, but attitudes quickly change when people marvel at this and his other remarkable inventions. Mark Antony hopes Emperor Nero will become his patron but, more importantly, he’s on a mission to find his father. All he knows from his mother Geranium’s description is that one of the two Roman commanders who camped their legion outside the town of Malenium some 30 years ago is his father.
The search quickly narrows to Senator Hilarius or Senator Ludicrus, both now powerful Roman Senators and immediately excited by the commercial potential of the amazing bicycle Since neither of the them clearly resembles Mark Antony the paternity issue is discreetly settled with the spin of a coin.
Antony Ludicrus Jnr. now qualifies for Roman citizenship and is poised for fame and fortune. But things get even better when Statilia, wife of nefarius Nero, offers him marriage to their daughter Lucretia. Nero meanwhile is delighted to be offered a partnership with Ludicrus and Hilarius in producing and selling bicycles to an empire-wide market.
With such glowing prospects and the world at his feet, Antony encounters Statilia’s beautiful personal slave-girl Cleo. It’s love at first sight - and the collapse of Antony’s glorious future when he learns from Cleo that Statilia is about to launch a diabolic plan to get rid of Nero and his son-and-heir Scrufulus, wipe out Ludicrus and Hilarius (also secretly plotting to liquidate Nero) and install Antony on the throne with her as the power behind it.
Aware of the trap being set for him, Antony and Cleo are about to flee to her African homeland when Rome is suddenly engulfed by a raging inferno started by crazy Scrufulus playing with Antony’s matches.
With Antony missing presumed dead, Statlia wailing over the collapse of all her plans and Nero scratching away on his fiddle, the flames and screaming finally subside, leaving bedraggled survivors slumped in the depths of despair.