The two plotlines converge in the final scene, where Jed (one of the revolutionaries) accidentally kills both himself and the MP with plastic explosive.
The published text of the play takes as its epigraph lines from Brecht's Die Maßnahme: Sink into the mireEmbrace the butcherBut change the world.Magnificence premiered at the Royal Court Theatre on 28 June 1973 with the following cast: It was directed by Max Stafford-Clark, designed by William Dudley and the lighting was by Andy Phillips.
Irving Wardle, writing in The Times, called it a wonderful piece of theatre.
[1] Magnificence was performed at the Finborough Theatre in 2016, marking its first appearance in London since the premiere.
[2] The reviews were favourable, with the Evening Standard commenting that "Brenton’s vision of revolutionary zeal is memorably strange".