Peterson Theater was crowded with people, and everyone was waiting for the start of the premiere of "Spartacus". As a theater located near the St. Antoine District, Peterson Theater was not large in size and the backstage was very narrow. Armand joined a chorus in the script for music and chorus. These people could not hide in the backstage at all. They stuffed some instruments outside the changing room, which was already full. There was no way, Armand had to arrange the chorus in the auditorium. The auditorium at Peterson Theater was also not big, it only had more than 300 seats, and as for private rooms, there were no even 20 seats. The chorus occupied more than 300 seats, resulting in the audience being missing.

Of course, it is also beneficial to be so small, that is, it is very easy to fill up. Armand has been boasting about his new scripts for a long time, and his friends have a wide range of friendships. In addition, some of his friends mobilized, and Armand has received some sponsorship from the Duke of Orleans, so he announced the premiere that he had no tickets. As a result, Peterson Theater, which could only accommodate 300 people, squeezed in at one go, and more people wanted to squeeze in. In order to get them in, the theater manager simply decided to temporarily remove all the seats in the theater and let everyone stand. However, because there is no money, the entire theater was still full. In addition, the people at the bottom didn't pay much attention to etiquette, and the whole theater was bustling like a vegetable market. An aunt even squeezed in with a hen that had just been bought from the market.

"Spartacus" began in such a hustle and bustle. At the beginning, the first scene was that Spartacus led a small team of gladiators and another team of gladiators led by his friend Enomay on the gladiator. On the side, the host of the gladiator announced: "The generous Crassus decided that in this battle, the winner who killed the enemy would become a free man!" Immediately afterwards, for "freedom", the two teams fought and people kept falling down. Soon, only Spartacus and Enomay were still standing. However, Enomay was already injured at this time and could only stand barely. His little shield was also lost in the previous battle, which made him almost unable to fight effectively. His opponent, also his best friend, Spartacus, was almost unscathed. The victory and defeat seemed to have lost the suspense.

"Kill him, kill him!" the actor who played the gladiator cried out.

"Spartacus, come on, kill me and you're free." Enomay knew that even in the best state, he was probably not the opponent of Spartacus, a guy who had won more than a hundred victories in the arena. What's more, he was already injured at this time.

"There are not many opportunities like this," said Enomay. "It is rare that Crasus was generous. Otherwise, if your new master, Akzien's stingy nature, missed this opportunity, you will never have the opportunity to become a free man again. If I were you, I would never miss this opportunity."

"No." Spartacus said, "I wouldn't kill my friends. If I were willing to wave my sword at my friends, I'm now a citizen of Rome."

After saying this, Spartacus ignored the shouts around him, put his sword into the sheath, and turned around and prepared to leave.

"Kill him! Otherwise you can wait to eat the whip!" someone shouted.

"A lowly slave!" someone cursed.

"I knew he was a sissy!" One audience member contemptuously. In the premiere, he played Spartacus with Louis, a friend of Armand. He had no problem with his figure, but his face was too handsome and even looked a bit like a girl, so he didn't seem suitable to play a role like Spartacus.

"Go to die!" Enomay suddenly shouted, staggering towards Spartacus with his back to him.

Spartacus flashed slightly and let Enomay's sword pass. At the same time, he hit Enomay's chest with his elbow. Enomay threw the short sword and fell to the ground in pain.

"Kill me!" Enomay said gasping.

"No, I won't be fooled by you. I won't wave my sword at my friend."

In the next scene, Spartacus, who was whipped, was with other surviving gladiators. The gladiators asked him why he didn't kill Enomay so that he would be free. Spartacus still answered with "I don't wave my sword to my friend." But another gladiator Cres coldly pointed out that his persistence was nothing, because Enomay would soon die in the next gladiator: "It is said that there are very few gladiators who have the opportunity to be free, or leave the arena. But I have never seen any such lucky ones. Even besides you, Spartacus, I have never seen a gladiator who can survive for three years. Spartacus, you are an invincible warrior, and have won more than a hundred battles, whether your opponent is a human or a tiger or a lion, but do you really think you can survive in the arena?"

This made everyone silent, and finally someone said, "Unless we escape!"

"But who can lead us to escape?" another questioned.

In the second act, Spartacus fled from the Gladiator School with a group of gladiators. They tried to escape north and escape from Rome, but the Roman soldiers kept chasing. Many gladiators died on the way to escape, and in the end they had to turn south and hide in the mountains of Vesuvius.

On this road to escape, Spartacus came to a conclusion, that is, "Slaves cannot truly gain freedom by just escaping. Only by overthrowing the slavery of oppression and enslaving people, can slaves have real freedom. Our goal should not be to try to avoid the pursuit of Roman soldiers, but to destroy Rome and liberate all slaves. Only when all slaves are free can we truly gain our own freedom!"

When Spartacus said this to the dozens of exhausted companions, in the background, the band began to play the melody of Joseph's new war song, first of which was a low and tragic prelude, like the drooping clouds hanging before the storm, pressing down heavily. Then the gloomy first theme began to be played, the music was calm and firm, and at the end of each section, there would be a heavy accent, like a heavy raindrop falling from the sky, or a rumble of war drums.

In the sound of this music, Spartacus's speech continued: "I know, my friends, my brothers, you will doubt, you will say, 'There are so many soldiers in Rome, who are well-trained, well-equipped and well-organized, how can we fight against the whole of Rome?'

But I want to say, don't be afraid, my brothers, what do we have to be afraid of? We don't have to be afraid of anything! Because there is anything more painful and terrible than the life we ​​live in this life? We live like pigs and are trampled like soil. What's more terrible to us? Can we lose anything else? Is there anything worth nostalgic about in our lives?

Friends and brothers, if there is anything we can lose in the battle, then the only thing we can lose is the chains that bind us, but once we win, what we win will be the whole world! A new world where no one can oppress or enslave people! To cheer up, my brothers should be afraid of Rome, those slave owners and vampires! We, we don’t need to be afraid!”

The theater was quiet. The uneducated inferior people stopped talking. They all stared at the actor who played Spartacus with their longing eyes, listened to his powerful speech, and nodded silently. Someone whispered: "It's right, we, we are not kings, we are not nobles. What else do we have to fear except chains? "

The remaining gladiators rekindled their spirits. Since then, they have continued to attack nearby manors to liberate the slaves there, and the slaves who have escaped from other areas have also fled to Vesuvius. Spartacus and his friends have continued to win new victories, and now their team has reached thousands. Spartacus' friend Enomay also joined the rebel army during this period. Under the auspices of Spartacus, the slaves even established a real democratic system based on equality of all people.

"This is really, it's so good, it's like a dream." A viewer couldn't help but whisper under the stage.

"It's like an archangel is speaking. I understand why they could have a girl play a general," said another audience member.

"Isn't it? I dare say that even God's heaven will not be better than this." Another audience member also whispered. Then he quickly drew a cross on his chest, "Lord, forgive me."

"Everyone is equal, there are no nobles or privileged classes anymore, which is great. But men and women are equal... can women be pushed toward men?" Someone said this.

But then the plot became tense again. In order to destroy them, Rome sent an officer named Claudius, and brought three thousand well-equipped soldiers to encircle them. With the assistance of the local slave owners, these guys entered Vesuvius. The rebels, lacking weapons and supplies, could not stop the Roman soldiers in front of them. They retreated step by step and were surrounded on a steep mountain. In front of them were Roman soldiers waiting for battle, and behind them were cliffs. Spartacus and his rebels seemed to have reached a desperate situation. Even Cres said, "It seems that this will be the last time in my life. Fortunately, I am a free man during these days."

But in a desperate situation, a girl named Agnipe proposed a solution: "There are many wild vines on this mountain. We can weave these vines into ropes, and then you men can walk down the mountain along these ropes and attack the Roman soldiers from behind."

"Hmph, I looked down on women just now. Without us women, you stupid men..." The aunt in the audience who was still holding a chicken in her hand couldn't help but say.

Spartacus adopted Agnipe's suggestion, and he led the soldiers to go down the mountain with these ropes at night, and then launched a raid from behind, defeating the Roman army in one fell swoop. Spartacus waved the dagger in his hand and led the slaves to chase the Roman soldiers. He shouted, "Brothers, sing our song!"

So amid the deep and majestic music, the slaves on the stage sing a song like this:

“

debout! les damnés de la terre

debout ! les forats de la faim…”
Chapter completed!