Romans: A Novel at the Almeida is a big swing, ambitious, idea-packed, and stylistically daring. It darts across eras and tones, building a heady meditation on masculinity and power. When it clicks, it’s thrilling: sharp writing, inventive staging, and sequences that feel properly audacious. But the sheer sprawl can blur the emotional impact. The second half’s gear-shifts and conceptual flourishes sometimes distance more than they deepen, and it runs long. Still, it’s a memorable night: provocative, original, and well worth it if you like your theatre bold and thought-provoking.