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You have to be tough to be kind. Thats what Ive learned from you- Granddad. Tough and fearless and strong. So thats what Im going to be.Naples- 1606. Inside an unfinished church- a painting is emerging from the darkness. The Seven Acts of Mercy is Caravaggios masterpiece - and his first painting since he killed a man and fled Rome. As the artist works- he is fueled by anger- self-loathing and his driving need to create a work that speaks of compassion in a violent world. Bootle- the present day. A retired dock worker teaches his grandson- as around them a community is disintegrating under the pressure of years of economic and political degradation. With all he has left- a book of great works of art- he tries to open the boys eyes to the tragedy and beauty of the life he faces. And the boy reciprocates in the only way he knows.Playing out across a gap of 400 years- Anders Lustgartens visceral play confronts the dangerous necessity of compassion- in a world where it is in short supply. The Seven Acts of Mercy received its world premiere at the Swan Theatre- RSC- on 24 November 2016....