David Pinner: Three Power Plays

Includes The Drums of Snow, Richelieu and Prince of Traitors

An epic play set in the 17th Century, The Drums of Snow focuses on the power struggle between Charles I and Oliver Cromwell, with John Lilburne, the Leveller, and the English people as their unwilling victims. The vicissitudes of the Civil War culminate in the royal despot’s death and a Puritan dictatorship that changes the course of English history.

Richelieu is an epic of the same period, exploring the rise of the tormented Catholic Cardinal, who elevates Louis XIII to god-like status in order to pacify war-torn France. Richelieu sacrifices himself to a secure but repressive royal kingdom and unwittingly sows the seeds of the French Revolution.

Prince of Traitors is a sardonic comedy about the achievements of a witty, club-footed Anglophile Bishop who manages to outlive Robespierre. After becoming Napoleon’s First Minister, Talleyrand helps bring about the Emperor’s downfall, claiming that ‘treachery is noble when its target is tyranny’.