Catherine wheel

At the top, a jagged, broken form recalls the razor-sharp spokes of a Catherine wheel, a notorious public torture device common to medieval Europe.

The lead cop’s full name is Catherine Wheel, a medieval torture device, and she has instant recall of a Latin motto: “Let the good of the people be the highest law.”

Set to Carl Orff’s dramatic score, the production includes a giant moving Catherine wheel and a live chorus seated on a floating platform above the stage.

Musician David Byrne, with whom she worked on an earlier show, “The Catherine Wheel” in 1981, felt the same.

That idiosyncratic style of his, back straight, carriage low, arms tucked, legs spinning so quick his gold spikes were like sparks from a Catherine wheel.