The text gives an imaginary life to the once-legendary Antinous, deified on his drowning at age 19. Presenting the story in an eclectic directorial style, Atfield mixes ancient and modern visual and auditory elements with contemporary language.

In choosing as narrator the talking statue of the deified Antinous, played with arch intimacy by Ethan Gibson, Atfield lessens the potential for developing his other characters. The advantage is that it places focus on the issues of mortality, power and love itself. Being a god, Antinous can take a swipe at puritanical Christianity.

Nicholas Eadie gives a powerful performance as the Emperor Hadrian in love for the first time and the other performers, Raoul Craemer, Emma Strand and James Hughes perform convincingly in a play where little is left to the imagination. The many nude scenes in this production are handled beautifully, with a wrestling scene conjuring up the figures on a Greek urn.

I would, however, question the necessity for an interval. Atfield takes too much time to construct a credible reason for Antonius’ early death. The denouement centres on Antonius’ fear he may been seen as a mere Greek paramour, a distinctly modern perception.

The clever script and the erotic scenes drew enthusiastic applause from a sympathetic audience.