“This creative, engaging, and accessible production of Marlowe’s queer historical tragedy dives into themes of loyalty, duty, and betrayal.”
In this stripped-back production, Alex Pearson Productions brings Marlowe’s stirring tragedy to life; this small cast and intimate theatre setting places the focus squarely on the human relationships at the heart of this political drama. Marlowe’s play, inspired by historical texts, explores the downfall of the 14th- century English king Edward II in a rebellion largely driven by Edward’s unrelenting preference for his ‘favourite,’ Piers Gaveston, and Edward’s neglect of his governing duties. This all-female cast adds aunique texture to a story traditionally about the love between two men.
With just six actors presenting a play which has over thirty roles in its original form, each actor (besides Natalie Harper as Edward II) takes on a handful of characters to populate the many moving parts of Edward II’s court and the various groups plotting against him. Clear and consistent costuming choices by designer Eve Oakley, as well as some well-utilised accents, helped make each character easily identifiable even as several of the actors swapped between four different roles throughout the show. This cast also has a strong grasp of Elizabethan language; their clear, natural, and emotional delivery of Marlowe’s lines made a complex plot very accessible.
Harper’s performance as Edward II was most powerful in the moments when her royal composure was allowed to slip and reveal Edward’s true emotions–from rage at the mistreatment of Gaveston to fear and eventually despair as Edward faced his fate. Elinor Machen-Fortune brought a lively versatility to her performance as Gaveston, with confidence verging on arrogance as Gaveston faced off with the English lords, melting into a more tender intimacy during more romantic scenes with the king. Machen-Fortune’s dynamic delivery of each phrase truly brought Marlowe’s poetic language to life. Alison Young brought a sweet, demure energy to the cast-aside Queen Isabella, and Srabani Sen was chillingly sinister as the calculating Mortimer. Victoria Howell’s expert grasp of pacing and ability to command the stage made each of her characters memorable–especially the scheming Spencer–and Emma Louise-Price added some
necessary moments of light relief with well-placed comic timing.
Hannah Clancy’s sound design and Steve Lowe’s lighting added atmosphere to a minimalist set, with some especially immersive moments in the Kenilworth Castle dungeons, with a dripping, echoing soundscape and cool, murky lights. Alex Pearson’s direction trimmed Marlowe’s text down to a 90- minute runtime, though there were a few moments in which the pacing of the scenes seemed to lull slightly, especially in a few moments when several characters delivered lines facing entirely out towards
the audience. While this formal blocking can sometimes help evoke a courtly atmosphere, at times it seemed to defuse the tension between the characters onstage. The choice to trim down the cast also created one or two awkward moments in which a scene might have benefited from having some soldiers nearby to escort some troublemakers away, but also offered some opportunities for new and exciting
thematic explorations. The doubling of Gaveston and Lightborne felt particularly meaningful, as it draws links between both men’s integral roles in Edward’s fate. Overall, Pearson has crafted a moving and accessible version of this iconic tragedy, which will draw in both newcomers to the world of early modern drama and seasoned Marlowe fans alike.
Edward II is running at the Jack Studio Theatre in Brockley, at 7:30 PM Tuesdays through Saturdays until 18 April 2026.