SAPHO & PHAO

About the show

Our young company of talented 12-16 year olds performed John Lyly's tale of gods and mortals in 2018. Venus, goddess of love, is furious. The young queen Sapho remains unmarried and shows no interest in falling in love. Meanwhile, the local ferry boy, Phao, is equally content with his simple, quiet life. Determined to have her will, Venus hatches a plan with her son Cupid and turns the local Phao into the most beautiful man in the world. But what happens when mortals refuse the will of the gods and the gods themselves become entangled in their own traps? Originally performed in 1584 by a company of child actors, John Lyly’s witty play foreshadows Shakespeare’s romantic comedies and was brought to life again in 2018 by the RSC’s first company of young actors: RSC Next Generation Act. The Next Generation actors were joined by Jessica Turner (previously seen at the RSC in The Fantastic Follies of Mrs Rich) as Sibylla.