55 Days

Synopsis

The political upheaval of the mid-seventeenth century has no parallel in English history. In these dangerous and dramatic times, in a country exhausted by Civil War, the great men of the day where trying to think the unthinkable - to create a country without a king. Oliver Cromwell struggled to invent a political future for his beloved country as he presided over the death of medieval England and the birth of the modern state.

Our Review:

Michael Coveney - 25 October 2012

With This House at the National giving us an idea of how Parliament became a forum of low deals and cat-calls, Howard Brenton's gutsy new play, staged with consummate skill, flair and persuasion by Howard Davies, reminds us that its origins were no less shaky but far more deep-rooted and idealistic.

And in doing so, a forgotten area of revolutionary British history is fascinatingly unlocked, as the disenchanted troopers, exhausted after six years of Civil War, storm the Commons with a view to purging the Presbyterians and hanging the bishops.

God’s Englishman, Oliver Cromwell (a mightily transfixing, but also troubled, Douglas Henshall), stands firm in his vision of liberty for all under a constitutiona...

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Latest User Review

Paul Wallis - 19 November 2012:

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. ...

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