Reader Reviews
55 Days (Hampstead Theatre, Inner London)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | A hugely enjoyable evening of theatre. A beautifully weighted production filled with excellent performances, not least from Douglad Henshall & Mark Gattis in the leading roles. - Paul Wallis | 19 Nov 12 |
| I spent two years studying the Civil War for A-Level and although that was a long time ago it's surprising how quickly it came back as 55 Days unfolded. That's just as well because Howard Brenton's play is rather wordy and fails to fully convey the excitement of those turbulent times and it is clearly written from the point of view of the Roundheads. Mark Gatiss is a rather one-dimensional Charles I and although Douglas Henshall is very good as Cromwell he has given him a starnge accent and is much more concilliatory and sympathetic than is generally believed. The best scene, which owes a lot to Schiller's Mary Stuart is the imagined confrontation between Charles and Cromwell when the King refuses to yield to concessions which could have saved him from the block. The play is never less than interesting but it doesn't make the most of the possibilities of our revolutionary moment in history. - David Baxter | 15 Nov 12 |
| Gripping play, showing how the future of Britain was forged on a knife edge. Only 2 mistakes: John Cooke was not timid - he believed utterly in the king's trial as God's will - and the proxy plea of guilty, presented here as a desperate choice by the court, was legal necessity at the time, given the King's refusal to plead. It would have been much better for the court to have been able to assume a not guilty plea - then Cooke could have presented the compelling evidence against the king in open court. Charles denied him this opportunity, and enabled royalists later to claim the case against him unproven. - Gill | 15 Nov 12 |
| Riveting and intelligent & just magnificant. Excellent cast with Mark Gatiss and Douglas Henshall outstanding. - Scarlet | 29 Oct 12 |
| Brilliantly written and acted by both protagonists, I was mesmerized and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. Thank you! - Gina Stipo | 25 Oct 12 |
| I was transfixed the whole time! - jw | 25 Oct 12 |
