Mr. Pepys, A Play in Two Acts

Abstract

This play is a fictionalized presentation of singular events in the life of Samuel Pepys (1633-1703). Today Pepys is best known for his diary, which is valued by historians for its colorful descriptions of life in 17th century London, England. However, his diary, written in the first decade of his three-decade career in the office of the English Admiralty, was unknown in his lifetime. Later in his time at the Admiralty, during the reign of Charles II, Pepys was caught up in the political intrigues of a fictitious plot to assassinate the Monarch, a scheme that was known as the Popish Plot. He was falsely implicated in the murder of a prominent magistrate, accused of treason, removed from his Admiralty appointment, and imprisoned in the Tower of London under threat of his life. This play examines these events and how Pepys survived to became one of the most colorful and influential figures in England.