Androcles and the Lion (play) run from his Roman persecutors. While hiding in the forest he comes upon a wild lion who approaches him with a wounded paw. His wife runs off. Androcles sees that the cause of the animal's distress is a large thorn embedded in its paw, which he draws out while soothing the lion in baby language. Androcles is captured and is sent to the Colosseum to be executed with other Christians in gladiatorial combat. They are joined by a new Christian convert called Ferrovius, who struggles to reconcile his Christian principles with his violent inclinations. The Roman captain guarding them is
A Rose Without a Thorn was adapted for Australian radio by Max Afford in 1940, a production much revived. It was also filmed by British TV in 1948. A Rose Without a Thorn A Rose without a Thorn is a 1958 Australian TV play about King Henry VIII's marriage to Katherine Howard. It was directed by Alan Burke from a play by Clifford Bax. The play was shown live in Sydney, recorded, then shown in Melbourne. It was the first production directed by Alan Burke after he joined the ABC full-time. Burke would go on to be one of the leading directors of the early