Hang there like fruit, my soul, Till the tree die.

Whilst originally pegged as one of the Bard's tragedies, Cymbeline is far more complex than that, with shades of romance and comedy in this tale of innocence and envy, grasps for power and eventual reconciliation for a dysfunctional royal family, led by an incompetent Queen and her scheming husband The Prince. Usually set in Ancient Britain, the RSC has updated the play for the 21st century, placing it in a strange dystopian Britain on the brink of disaster, where the powerplay is just as bloody and relevant.

When Innogen, the only living heir to the throne marries the unsuitable Posthumus for love, the act becomes a catalyst for the weakened monarchy, and the machiavellian Prince who sends his son Cloten after Innogen's hand after Posthumus is exiled, hoping to seize the crown from Cymbeline.

Whilst The Prince's plots are afoot, Posthumus spends his time abroad consumed with paranoia about Innogen's fidelity, only to be tricked by a friend Iachimo into beleiving he has proof of her betrayl. With murder on his mind, he sets out to have her killed, but when the plan fails, Innogen herself sets off in disuise to find him and set the record straight, but not before running into a long forgotten nobleman who takes his chance to avenge his banishment by Cymbeline with the greastest ammo he posesses, Cymbeline's kinapped sons...

Explosive with more twists and turns than a country road, the show's limited run at the Barbican is set to be one of the highlights of the season!