Barabas as Lorenzo

I have chosen to cast Barabas as Lorenzo. I needed a man who was familiar with political nobility, specifically the duplicity of nobility, and Barabas is this man. He himself is not nobility, nor involved in politics as he is a self-made businessman, but Barabas has lived comfortably in margins Malta and suffered under the hypocritical nature and vile schemes of political nobility. I didn't want to cast someone who might sympathise with Lorenzo, rather, I wanted someone who would detest what he stood for.

I told Barabas, "Play Lorenzo like you would play Ferneze." And it just clicked.

I think Barabas will highlight the villainous nature of our Machiavellian character, Lorenzo. He also has a great skill for speech, and Lorenzo uses his words to force others to do his dirty work. Most of all, though, he is a treacherous schemer that will stop at nothing to get what he believes he deserves.

There was a darkness to Barabas that he was able to tap into when auditioning for Lorenzo, I believe he was thinking about his gold. Barabas' own tragic tale of revenge had me thinking that he might make a good Hieronimo, but someone more multi-faceted came along for that part. Ultimately, I saw Hieronimo as a very complex and even circuitous character. Barabas driven by pride and greed, and in this way he is much more suitable to play Lorenzo.