John Malkovich defies heaven and earth in a one-man journey to the point where power corrupts absolutely. 

A dictator teeters on the brink, and megalomania escalates into full-blown madness. John Malkovich stands alone against the sound of the mighty Union Chapel organ in this astonishing one-man music-drama: an exploration of tyranny in the raw by an actor of unparalleled conviction. From Nero to Idi Amin, despots have had megalomaniac delusions of divine provenance.

Austrian playwright and director Michael Sturminger’s music-theatre piece pits Malkovich against the grandiloquent power of the organ. Austrian organist Martin Haselböck responds with music by Bach, Messiaen and Ligeti: words against music, genius versus delusion, and at its terrifying heart, an actor who spares no-one – least of all himself.

Presented by the Barbican at Union Chapel. More info here.