The political unrest of ancient Rome has ample resonances for contemporary domestic politics, at least as envisioned in Conversations in Tusculum, Richard Nelson's intriguing but often tedious new play getting its world premiere at the Public Theater. Unfortunately, a heaviness hangs over the majority of the play, with only a few moments of humor, and it's quite likely that one's attention will wander during the nearly two-and-a-half hour production.

The play's action -- and more often than not, inaction -- centers around Brutus (Aidan Quinn), who has lost his sense of purpose after surrendering to Julius Caesar following the Civil War, in which he sided with Caesar's opponent, Pompey. Ca[...]