The Bloodiest Rose: Being a True and Accurate Account of The First Public Performance of The History and Tragedy of King Henry the Seventh

When an unlucky businessman discovers Shakespeare's fair copies of his collected works, in an old chest rescued from a wrecked galleon, amongst the plays and poems, in Shakespeare's own hand, is a copy of an unknown play; The History and Tragedy of King Henry the Seventh. He plunges into producing this play, as a last gasp attempt to restore his fame and fortune, with a ragtag collection of players in a down at heels theatre in Newtown, Sydney. Ed Cahill is the stage manager, and the story is told through his eyes, with all the stumbles, tantrums, problems and triumphs that go into proving that this is really Shakespeare, and that the production is worth the effort. In parallel with this story, there is the story of Shakespeare and his time, and how this play came to be, and that the problems faced by players in Elizabethan times are still those faced by players today. But over all, "The play's the thing."