In Lambeth

Description

Before there is Revolution there must be Revelation. In Lambeth is set against a background of the French and American revolutions. Pursued through the streets of Lambeth by an anti-republican mob, Thomas Paine seeks sanctuary in the garden of William Blake and his wife Catherine only to find them naked up a tree reading Paradise Lost and communing with angels. Originally produced in 1989 and first published the following year, this new edition published to correspond with the revival at the Southwark Playhouse, Lambeth, London in July 2014.

Jack Shepherd, a leading actor of his generation, was one of the founding actors of the Cottesloe Company as well as being a playwright. In 2005 his play Man Falling Down: A Mask Play was staged at the Globe Theatre, London, followed by Holding Fire! in 2007.

A striking, Aristophanic, tongue-in-cheek encounter. * Independent * In his beautiful play . . . Shepherd has captured the essence of the men, and has found them a magical location and a good moment in history in which to meet. * Time Out * Charm is not a quality one would immediately associate with either William Blake or Tom Paine, but Jack Shepherd's play about a meeting between the two in 1791 has it in abundance. * The Times * A beautiful exploration * The Stage * . . . a stylish account of the meeting of two brilliant minds . . . If you like big ideas . . . this is a hoot . . . * Time Out London * . . . it opens up an intriguing and ultimately unresolvable debate. * Guardian *