★★★★ 'Richly rewarding. A cracking performance by Tom Burke, who has terrific stage presence' Daily Mail
'A gutsy interpretation of Don Carlos... a daring piece of visual dramaturgy' The Stage
'Offers audiences plenty to think about. The theme of freedom is a powerful one' WhatsOnStage
A major new revival of Friedrich Schiller’s romantic drama Don Carlos, starring Tom Burke, as part of the Rose’s 10th anniversary season.
‘Love is only known by him who hopelessly persists in love’
A magnificent tale of passion and power set against the chilling backdrop of the bloody and ruthless Spanish Inquisition.
Don Carlos is torn apart when his tyrannical father King Philip II seals a peace deal by marrying French noble Elizabeth de Valois, the love of Carlos’ life. The heartbroken heir turns for help to his closest friend, Rodrigo, Marquis of Posa, a champion of the oppressed, who questions the monarch’s iron rule and becomes an unlikely power broker in the duplicitous court.
Written just two years before the French Revolution, Schiller’s Don Carlos is a man caught at the intersection of passion and politics: smitten by his stepmother and seduced by Posa’s dangerous vision of freedom. The chilling work is full of Shakespearean echoes and its themes of justice and equality; freedom of expression and conscience; religious bigotry and state persecution are as relevant today as ever.
Director Gadi Roll brings his trademark dynamic imagery and haunting sound-scapes to Schiller’s masterpiece.
Cast include celebrated actor Tom Burke (The Musketeers, War & Peace, Strike, BBC) playing Rodrigo, Marquis of Posa; Samuel Valentine (The Stepmother, Romeo & Juliet) in the role of Don Carlos; Darrell D'Silva (Hedda Gabler, Old Vic; Informer, BBC) in the role of the tyrannical King Philip II; and Kelly Gough (Game of Thrones, A Street Car Named Desire) who plays Elizabeth.
Photo: Paul Black Images