Rebel Rebel at Bread & Roses Theatre

Why rebel? Why stick your neck out? Why take the risk? Rebellions seldom end well for the rebels. Rebel Rebel is a new play with music that follows the fortunes of three linked characters across two rebellions in London: Jack Cade’s Rebellion of 1450; and a contemporary climate change protest.

Jack Cade’s Rebellion involved a march on the City by about 5,000 rebels, mainly from Kent and Sussex. The target of their protest was corruption at the court of King Henry VI, amid fears of a French invasion. The rebellion, mostly forgotten now, represented such a profound political convulsion for the country that Shakespeare featured it in his Henry VI Part 2, nearly 150 years later.

Climate change protests are a divisive feature of modern life. Rebels have blocked roads, abseiled down landmark buildings to attach their banners, disrupted sporting occasions, attacked artworks and brought traffic to a standstill on the Dartford Crossing, arousing strong feelings on both sides.

Behind every rebellion, there are rebels. Who are they, and what could these two rebellions, separated by more than 500 years, possibly have in common?