THEATER REVIEW:

Playwright Amy Freed derives special glee from rewriting history, providing fictional back stories for legendary characters such as Shakespeare (“The Beard of Avon”) and Cotton Mather (“Safe in Hell”), both of which premiered at South Coast Repertory.

Now it’s Nero’s turn, and the mad Roman emperor is thoroughly roasted in Freed’s “You, Nero,” also a South Coast Repertory world premiere and even more scathing than the other two, though not without its structural limitations.

Freed, ably abetted by director Sharon Ott, packs her script with a few modern-day zingers, such as references to “A Chorus Line,” which tend to lighten a period in history where there wasn’t much to laugh at, unless you were the emperor.

Now here was a guy with a real image problem. He’d already put down his wife and his mother was soon to follow. Whether he actually burned Rome still puzzles historians, but most associate that big bonfire with him as well.

Clearly, he needed some PR work, and here Freed fiddles with history. Her creation is a down-on-his-luck playwright named Scribonius, who hasn’t had a hit since an early work, “Blood Under the Aquaduct.” Who better to humanize the big guy?

What follows is a series of escapades rich in humor and jabs to the playgoers’ ribs, but no clear resolution. The natural climax is the burning of Rome, but even that momentous event doesn’t really underscore the story line, entertaining as it is.

Now, Peter Ustinov (“Quo Vadis,” 1951) probably is the definitive Nero, but South Coast’s Danny Scheie runs him a close second. Scheie cackles and commands his way through the role with the sort of carte blanche most actors covet. This is a Nero intoxicated with power but still reflective on his perception by the proletariat.

Yet even with all his flash and dash, Nero really isn’t the centerpiece of Freed’s play. That would be the fictional Scribonius (John Vickery), a stentorian scribe who must wrestle with his conscience before submitting to this personality-polishing assignment. Actually, a little romp with Nero’s mistress is about all it takes.

This latter role, the panther-like Poppaea, also is in excellent hands, those of Caralyn Kozlowski, who luxuriates in her place of power and oozes sexuality all over the stage. Also effective is Lori Larsen as Nero’s haughty mother whose time is running out.

South Coast Repertory founding artists Richard Doyle and Hal Landon Jr. provide additional comedy as a pair of eunuchs who double as senators and other functionaries. Kasey Mahaffy tackles four different assignments, most notably a prissy model whom Nero transforms into a soprano.

The imposing setting, easily adjustable to accommodate a variety of venues, is the work of Erik Flatmo. Paloma H. Young has created some stunning period costumes while Peter Maradudin’s lighting effects, particularly the big blaze at the climax, are indeed impressive.

“You, Nero” is rich in satirical comedy, the sort Mel Brooks mined in his “History of the World, Part I” when Dom DeLuise played the lusty emperor. Freed’s play may not be perfect, but it’s perfectly pleasing nonetheless.

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: “You, Nero”

WHERE: South Coast Repertory, Julianne Argyros Stage, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

WHEN: 7:45 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 2 and 7:45 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays until Jan. 25.

COST: $28 to $64

CALL: (714) 708-5555

TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews appear Thursdays.