STEPHANIE BROWN draws attention to the hidden labour of the female embroiderers, and how a 19th century replica made no such error
IMAGINE a monarch, self-centred and ego-led, treating his wife coldly once she has produced the heir, flirting openly with his lover and enjoying his status yet claiming to yearn for a quiet life.
That’s categorically no reference to a future king of this realm today but to Edward II, whose tragic tale is told here in a fine ensemble production of Christopher Marlowe’s play. It has engaging performances from Tom Stuart as the king and Beru Tessema as his beloved Piers Gaveston, the latter displaying a sweetness that suggests a profound love.
Arriving at court — where he is loathed by all but Edward — Gaveston is saddled with some of Marlowe’s soppiest lines. He would have swum from France and “like Leander, gasped upon the sand, so thou wouldst smile and take me in thy arms.”
ANDY HEDGECOCK, MARIA DUARTE and ANGUS REID review Synthetic Sincerity, Our Hero, Balthazar, Heartstopper Forever, and A Year In London
MARIA DUARTE admires the scale of Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer
New releases from Shearwater, Florry, and Navy Blue
New releases from Kneecap, Sam Blasucci, and Juni Habel


