Cousins go to war as a thrilling, dark and dangerous world comes to life

Shakespeare’s three plays of Henry VI will be presented under their original titles, and can be enjoyed all in one day or individually with no knowledge of the others.

There’s history, drama, and action, as the wicked world of Henry VI is brought to life – a country racked by the Wars of the Roses during a savage and frightening time.

Strong characters such as Joan of Arc and the rebellious Jack Cade take to the stage, dripping with wit, black comedy and rhetoric.

The first play, Henry VI: Harry the Sixth begins just after the death of Henry V, the monarch celebrated for having united England and subjugated France.

It doesn’t take long for divisions to appear, first between those around the infant Henry VI, and later between the great houses of Lancaster and York.

Only the young Lord Talbot, locked in combat with the bewitching and enigmatic Joan of Arc, seems capable of redeeming a divided and dishonoured kingdom.

In Henry VI: The Houses of York & Lancaster, the saintly Henry VI is undermined by his nobles, especially his ambitious cousin Richard, Duke of York, and by the Kentish rebellion, led by the charismatic Jack Cade, popular champion and savage critic of England’s social inequality.

Finally, in Henry VI: The True Tragedy of the Duke of York, a bloody power struggle opens up between the King’s party, lead by the fearsome Queen Margaret, and the Yorkists, led by Richard then his sons Edward and ‘that lump of foul deformity’, Richard of Gloucester.

All directed by Nick Bagnall, designed by Ti Green and composed by Alex Baranowski. From August 7 - 10 at various times. For details visit www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre/