Ten plagues and The coronation of Poppea

London is infected. The dead fall in the streets. As the plague pits fill, the people of London struggle to maintain a society in the face of overwhelming mortality. Based on eye-witness accounts from 1665 and drawing poetic parallels with modern epidemics, Ten Plagues relates one man´s journey through a city in crisis.
Told entirely through a series of songs, Ten Plagues explores humanity´s struggle with sickness and death and celebrates our capacity for survival.
This volume also contains The Coronation of Poppea, a new version of Monteverdi´s opera depicting the triumphant adultery between Poppea and Roman Emperor Nero. Tackling this tale of epic lives, Ravenhill updates Tacitus´ scathing portrayal of decadence and imperial degeneracy with language which is contemporary, spare and brutally powerful.
Mark Ravenhill´s introduction to the two pieces explains the genesis of his writing, the history behind the operas, their themes and their poetry.