Tales from the Golden Age

The Triumph of Evil – In the closing months of the second world war the Nazis were determined to exterminate all remaining prisoners in their infamous concentration camps. They were planning to destroy all evidence of their atrocities before the allied armies reached the camps. In a race against time, Swedish aristocrat, Count Bernadotte has to ‘deal with the devil’ when he enters into negotiation with SS leader Heinrich Himmler in a last minute attempt to liberate thousands of prisoners and take them to safety in Sweden. His experience demonstrates the truth of the old adage that the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing. Trivial Dispute – Two worlds collide when self made millionaire Trevor, owner of the third largest chain of tanning boutiques in East Surrey, committed Tory and card carrying Brexiteer, suddenly finds himself at odds with a retired academic, the cosmopolitan and liberal minded Ewan. Although at first a trivial dispute, Trevor resorts to unusual tactics and matters start to escalate… Iago – In the wake of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ campaign, people from formerly under-represented groups have been elevated into positions of power and responsibility. Most of us accept that for too long, able bodied white men have had an unfair advantage but not everyone agrees with positive discrimination. Iago, an experienced soldier passed over for promotion in favour of Cassius, plots to wreak dreadful revenge on his commanding officer Colonel Othello. The New Normal – The year is 2024. A dark cloud hangs over a broken and vastly impoverished nation, its influence and standing in the world severely diminished. What remains of the United Kingdom is isolated from its neighbours, the union with Scotland has collapsed and war had broken out across the heavily fortified Irish border. Society is riven with division and conflict creating an atmosphere of enmity and distrust. One half of the population despises and derides the other half. The authority of the populist government has been fatally undermined by their inept and short-sighted handling of both the coronavirus pandemic and the nation’s chaotic and destructive departure from the European Union. Against this background and against all the odds, Dorothy has finally found a new carer. Marlowe’s Ghost – William Shakespeare, now retired and living in Stratford-upon-Avon is haunted by the ghost of a fellow playwright, assassinated nearly a quarter century before. Marlowe’s Ghost provides an answer to two great mysteries; the reason why Shakespeare aged forty seven, retired at the height of his powers and also why he shunned the recognition due to him, even during his prolific years, to the extent that there are many who question the authorship of his plays. “Two things motivate men above all else, the desire for immortality and the desire for revenge. In my work I satiated both desires but the latter was far stronger.” William Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon 1615.