Details

The story of a life dominated by manipulation, deception and betrayal. Lambert Simnel was a 10-year-old orphan when Henry VII seized the throne. Taken and used by the ousted Yorks, his innocence was stripped away. Trained to pretend to be a claimant to the throne, he was the pawn at the head of an army of mercenaries. The massacre he witnessed in their defeat was to haunt Lambert for the rest of his life. Terrified and abandoned, his was a life sentence - to work in the royal kitchens serving those he once thought to rule. Now aged 30, Lambert is in the kitchens on the coronation day of Henry VIII. Distressed by the deceit and lust for power which thrive in this realm too, he remembers the traumas of his childhood. The flashbacks triggered make him confront feelings that have simmered for years. As the pressure builds, Lambert realises that he must break away from the chain of facades. Blood and Roses is set in the heart of these kitchens as the coronation feast is being prepared. In this chaotic and crude world, Lambert s only family are his fellow workers. As the emotional precipice nears, they adopt the guises of the figures of his past. In grotesque three-quarter masks the childhood story is played out in the dark depths of the kitchen. Guideline - 14 years. Set in the royal kitchen and using Trestle's trademark masked characters and more than a few utensils, this new show tells how the course of English history was nearly changed by a small boy with unusually big ideas.

Cast/Performers

James Greaves, Roisin Rae, Anthony Renshaw, Kai Simmons, Matthew Vaughan

Creatives/Company

Author(s): Dylan Ritsen, Toby Wilsher
Company: Trestle Theatre
Director: Russell Dean
Sound: Neil Douglas