Will the dictator think twice about launching a brutal war? Will his daughter reason with him, guide him toward sweet humility and service? Will his counsellors advise forgiveness and patience?

Come on! Have you been reading the news at all? Could we charge full ticket price for a fantasy like that? No, we simply ask you to show up for a display of pride and cruelty, poor decision-making and bad tempers, vanity and greed and calculation.

Oh and by the way, there is a rat among the cast. And a ghost!