Alive.co.uk
13 March, 2001
Review by Simon Netherwood Thanks to Alison Moore

This adaptation of Christopher Marlowe’s historical tragedy, pulls absolutely no punches. The direction, by award winning Associate Director of Sheffield Theatres, Michael Grandage, brings all the drama to the fore with a clever, inventive but never excessive interpretation. In fact, there is no flamboyance in this adaptation. Everything serves a purpose and serves to tell the story rather than massage the ego of the production group.

This is the disturbing tale of the homosexual King and his ill-chosen love for a French peasant. Naturally, this doomed romance (and Marlowe portrays it as such) leads to dire consequences for the King and this production really brings out the drama, the humour, the tension and the horror in Marlowe’s text.

The casting is superb with Joseph Fiennes putting heart, mind and soul into his performance. His King is a fool, who fails to foresee the inevitable consequences of letting his arrogant lover abuse the clergy and the barons, yet he is a very human fool. It is impossible not to mourn for him and to share in his torments.

Other powerful performances include Lloyd Owen’s truly commanding presence as Mortimer The Younger. He gives a convincing portrayal of a man corrupted by power. However, it would be easy to talk endlessly about the cast, as there were no dead weights.

One of things brought out heavily in this production is the passion. Edward II and Gaveston’s desire for each other is made clear by their overtly sexual behaviour. They manage an on-screen intensity that makes Edward’s foolishness seem all the more human and understandable. Mortimer The Younger and the Queen also manage to present a strong passion, and it is such manifestations of lust that make the whole thing seem so much more real.

The production values are extremely high as well. The score by Julian Philips is un-intrusive yet dramatic enough for some highly effective scene-setting. The costumes are superb and the set is, like most things here, effective yet simple. The whole production burns with an intense brilliance and shows just how powerful a medium the theatre can be.