A Bloody, Muddy Triumph!
EDWARD II by Christopher Marlowe, directed by Daniel Raggett at the Swan Theatre Stratford upon Avon. Running until 5 April.
Review by Wynne Lang.
Edward II was a king most of us probably know little about. We might have a general view of him as being ineffectual and leaving little mark on our island history – the loss to the Scots at Bannockburn notwithstanding. We might know rather more about the salacious rumours that accrued around his personal life, and the grisly way in which he allegedly met his end. It’s not hard to see why Christopher Marlowe, who was always attracted to the dark side, would have been fascinated by him, and the RSC, in this latest revival of his work, do it full and bloody justice.
The drama focusses on Edward’s reckless and scandalous relationship with a commoner, Piers Gaveston. Other aggravating factors of Edward’s rule and only hinted at or ignored entirely. Gaveston had already been exiled prior to Edward’s accession, and his first action as king is to recall him, in the teeth of opposition from a powerful noble faction. Edward embraces and kisses Gaveston passionately and publicly on his return to the evident distaste of said nobles.
This production cracks along at just over two hours with no interval. It is a play that poses quite a few potential production problems. It has no set piece fight scenes, very few changes of scenery and few if any moments to alleviate the dramatic tension through comic relief. However, co-directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey overcome this by using Gaveston’s friends, Baldock and Spencer, to bring a note of playfulness through their performances and there is a spectacular change of staging towards the end that helps to inject fresh dramatic energy.
This play demands a lot of stamina from its actors. Most of those in the principal roles are on stage for most of the action. Eloka Ivo as Gaveston strikes the right balance between loving the King and displaying a dangerous disregard for the responsibilities of governing a county. As the only female character, Ruta Gedmintas has her work cut out trying to assert her character in the sea of masculine ambition. However, the acting crown has to go to Daniel Evans as a weak and needly king recklessly relying on his relationship with Gaveston and showing real theatrical bravery in his performance of his final scene.
The stage has been set before the audience arrive with the coffin of Edward’s father surrounded by the barons who will later turn on his son. The audience is invited to process around it before taking their seats. The setting is a reminder of the power that lies at the heart of royalty and those who can get closest to it, and there is genuine gravity and dignity conveyed.
The full dress and paraphernalia of the barons’ costumes show their status and the expectation that this is how it should continue. The abrupt return of Gaveston suddenly threatens their positions of influence, which the barons cannot tolerate. So the drama unfolds, as they plot to get rid of Gaveston whom they also look down on as a commoner and not worthy of his position in court on that basis alone.
There is much speculation about the nature of the relationship between Edward and Gaveston. This production does not equivocate; theirs is a sexual bond and it is put centre stage.They hug, hold and kiss one another freely and joyfully. This is not a ‘modern add on’; Marlowe’s words are not ambiguous in showing that their relationship goes beyond friendship. There is huge contrast between the informal, easy behaviour of Gaveston and his friends and the rigid, distant attitude of barons which creates much of the dramatic tensions in this production.
However, these are as butterflies when compared to the ruthlessness of the noble interests, and for all Edward’s raging and threats against the barons in defence of Gaveston, he is never in control of events. When Gaveston’s end comes, it is brutal and bloody, and one of the more visceral deaths you are likely to see on stage.
Gaveston’s demise precedes Edward’s own. The shape-shifting Mortimer, always opposed to Edward, becomes lover of the Queen and potential regent to Edward’s young son when Edward is eventually deposed. A grubby plot sees the imprisoned Edward murdered to hasten this event.
The circumstances of Edward’s imprisonment are impressively realised in the staging. The upper section of the stage moves back to reveal a swampy morass, Edward’s ‘dungeon’. The death of a king is depicted by two members of the nobility wrestling in mud trying to hold him down, while a hired killer performs a truly barbaric act upon him. It’s a far cry from the decorum of the play’s opening scene.
This is a brave and compelling production which pulls no punches.
For tickets and more information: https://www.rsc.org.uk/edward-ii
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