Magnificence is a 1973 play

Play (theatre)

A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...

 by English playwright Howard Brenton

Howard Brenton

-Early years:Brenton was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, son of Methodist minister Donald Henry Brenton and his wife Rose Lilian . He was educated at Chichester High School For Boys and read English Literature at St Catharine's College, Cambridge. In 1964 he was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal...

. It has two plotlines. Firstly, five far-left revolutionaries squat an unoccupied house in London. Secondly, a Conservative cabinet MP loses faith in himself. The two plotlines converge in the final scene, where Jed (one of the revolutionaries) accidentally kills both himself and the MP with plastic explosive.

The published text of the play takes as its epigraph

Epigraph (literature)

In literature, an epigraph is a phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document or component. The epigraph may serve as a preface, as a summary, as a counter-example, or to link the work to a wider literary canon, either to invite comparison or to enlist a conventional...

 lines from Brecht

Brecht

Brecht is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Brecht proper, Sint-Job-in't-Goor and Sint-Lenaarts. On January 1, 2006 Brecht had a total population of 26,464...

's Die Maßnahme:

Stage History

Magnificence premiered at the Royal Court Theatre

Royal Court Theatre

The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...

 on 28 June 1973 with the following cast:

• Will - Michael Kitchen
  Michael Kitchen
  Michael Kitchen is an English actor and television producer, best known for his starring role as DCS Foyle in the British TV series Foyle's War.-Early life:...
  
  
• Jed - Kenneth Cranham
  Kenneth Cranham
  Kenneth Cranham is a film, television and stage actor. He starred in the title role in the popular 1980s comedy drama Shine on Harvey Moon. He also appeared in Layer Cake, Gangster No. 1, Rome, Oliver! and many other films. He is probably best known to horror genre fans as the deranged Dr...
  
  
• Mary - Carole Hayman
  Carole Hayman
  Carole Hayman is an English writer, broadcaster and journalist was born in Kent, and attended Leeds University and the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School...
  
  
• Veronica - Dinah Stabb
• Cliff - Pete Postlethwaite
  Pete Postlethwaite
  Peter William "Pete" Postlethwaite, OBE, was an English stage, film and television actor.After minor television appearances including in The Professionals, Postlethwaite's first success came with the film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988. He played a mysterious lawyer, Mr...
  
  
• Constable - James Aubrey
  James Aubrey (actor)
  James Aubrey was an English stage and screen actor. He trained for the stage at the Drama Centre London. He made his professional acting debut in a 1962 production of Isle of Children. Aubrey made his screen acting debut in the 1963 adaptation of Lord of the Flies. Aubrey performed with the Royal...
  
  
• Slaughter - Leonard Fenton
  Leonard Fenton
  Leonard Fenton is a British actor, best known for his role as Dr. Harold Legg in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders.-Early life:...
  
  
• Alice - Geoffrey Chater
  Geoffrey Chater
  Geoffrey Chater is a British actor who was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire. He has starred in both film and television projects...
  
  
• Babs - Robert Edison
• Old Man/Lenin - Nikolaj Ryjtkov

It was directed by Max Stafford-Clark

Max Stafford-Clark

Maxwell Robert Guthrie Stewart Stafford-Clark is an English Theatre Director.-Life and career:He went to school at Felsted and Riverdale Country School in New York City. He has worked as a theatre director since he left Trinity College, Dublin.His directing career began as associate director of...

, designed by William Dudley

William Dudley (designer)

William Dudley is a British theatre designer.Dudley is the son of William Stuart Dudley and his wife Dorothy Irene. He was educated at the St Martin's School of Art and the Slade School of Art...

 and the lighting was by Andy Phillips.