IAN McDIARMID stars in the title role as the RSC production of A life of Galileo tours to the Theate Royal Bath this month.

One of the UK’s finest actors, Ian McDiarmid reprises his electrifying performance as Galileo, leading an ensemble cast in A life of Galileo, when the theatrical tour-de-force appears at the Theatre Royal Bath from Monday, March 17 to Saturday, March 22.

In the year 1609, brilliant Italian scientist Galileo makes an astonishing discovery that will change the world forever. Observing the night sky using the recently-invented telescope, he sees the solar system with a clarity never before experienced by astronomers. But as he sets out to prove that the earth moves around the sun, he creates uproar and finds himself facing the wrath of the church. When his opponents convince the Pope that these new findings pose a threat to religious dogma and may spark unrest and civil disobedience, Galileo is called before the Inquisition as a heretic, forced to publicly denounce his theories and abandon a truth he fervently believes in.

For tickets and more details please visit www.theatreroyal.org.uk