Danton's death

'Danton's Death' is a dramatisation of the most extraordinary scenes of the French Revolution, of eloquence and execution. In 1794, the Revolution was reaching its climax. After a series of bloody purges the life-loving, volatile Danton is tormented by his part in the killing. His political rival, the driven and ascetic Robespierre, decides Danton's fate. A titanic struggle begins. Once friends who wanted to change the world together, now these two men stand against each other, one for compromise and the other for ideological purity, as the guillotine awaits. With a hair-raising on-rush of scenes and vivid dramatisation of complex, visionary characters, 'Danton's Death' has a claim to be one of the greatest political tragedies ever written. This version premiered at the National Theatre in 2010.