After visiting the ruins of Pompeii in Italy , Papadakos began writing a stage play about life in the ancient Roman city that ended in 79 AD with the cataclysmic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius . The resulting '' Pompeii : The Musical '' premiered in November , 2005 , in Wilmington , North Carolina . After opening night at the Thalian Center for the Performing Arts , successor to historic Thalian Hall , the performances were sold out for its two-week run , breaking 150-year old box office records as more than six thousand attended , forcing the theatre to open its rarely used third tier for overflow seating . '' Pompeii , '' later re-titled '' BACCHUS '' , also won '' Encore Magazine '' ’s " Best Theatre Production of 2006 " Award
eruption of Mt. Vesuvius
Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79
Dorothy Papadakos