"Russian History...? Well, no not exactly. The Great is Tony McNamara's distinctive comic take on the rise and reign of Catherine the Great of Russia. Notoriously fond of horses, Tony reveals that she also had a soft spot for bears. In the play he mines the comedy and sadness of her passage from sweet innocent abroad, through the pain of a disastrous arraned marriage, to the very apogee of Russian demagoguery. The action spans the course of Catherine's adult life - the character will be played by two actresses; a younger and an older - as she learns the ways of the world and takes on the challenge of political power with all of its attendant responsibilities, excesses and sorrows. It is at once a coming of age story, a family drama and a wild satire on power. With an attention to veracity that would make Monty Python squeal, history is well and truly damned. Leave the facts with your car keys and your towel on the Sands of Time, come, frolic in the Sea of Great Unlikelihood..."--Provided by publisher.