The Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Rape of Lucrece at Cork Opera House

Shakespeare’s The Rape of Lucrece is a politically-charged, sexually provocative and violent thriller. In the hypnotic hands of internationally-acclaimed performer and Cork’s own Camille O’Sullivan, this rarely performed tragedy is thrillingly brought to life through storytelling and song by the Royal Shakespeare Company. With original music played live by Feargal Murray on piano, O’Sullivan inhabits the souls of both Tarquin and Lucrece. While narrating their fates, she delivers an astonishing range of human experience contained in this dark tale that is as beautiful as it is monstrous.

A hit at the Edinburgh International Festival and winner of the prestigious Bank of Scotland Herald Angel Award, Elizabeth Freestone directs this seamless and powerful blend of music and verse