Sunsets And Glories

Set in late 13th-century Italy, where power struggles erupt between the Church, the propertied and the landless. The conflict inspires such characters as the spineless Charles II, a paid killer, a mad woman and Pope Celestine V to provoke a crisis of faith. Barnes also wrote "The Ruling Class".

Set in medieval Italy during a crisis in the Church, Sunsets and Glories is "a work of the highest and most thrilling theatrical energy" (Independent on Sunday) Sunsets and Glories is set in the late thirteenth-century Italy where power struggles between Church and State inspire such characters as the spineless Charles 11, paid killer Montefelto and 'madwoman' Maifreda. Into this maelstrom steps Peter de Morrone, the saintly Pope Celestine V, provoking a bitter crisis of faith in the abiding values of violence and corruption. Once again, Peter Barnes' mordant wit takes history and imbues it with a savage humour."Peter Barnes is one of the unrecognised geniuses of the English theatre" (Plays and Players)