Victory

Synopsis

England after the Restoration, where loyalties shift like quicksand and survival means compromising one’s ideals.

Bradshaw, the widow of a regicide judge, navigates a treacherous post-Civil War landscape as she attempts to recover her husband’s remains. Her journey takes her from the corridors of power to the depths of poverty, forcing her to confront the consequences of her husband’s actions and her own beliefs. Along the way, she encounters a cast of characters including the cynical Charles II, the ambitious Devonshire, and the broken Ball, each grappling with the aftermath of revolution in their own way.

Barker’s darkly comic and brutally honest play explores themes of political upheaval, moral compromise, and the cost of idealism. Through a series of visceral encounters and stark reversals of fortune, Victory offers a scathing critique of power, hypocrisy, and the human capacity for adaptation in the face of changing political winds. The play’s unflinching look at the personal toll of historical events challenges audiences to consider the true nature of victory and defeat in times of social upheaval.