“Edward II” by Christopher Marlowe
Nottingham New Theatre

Now here's a play that I was aware of but neither seen, nor read, and after tonight don't really need to read the play, because this play, albeit slightly modernised, was just what I hoped it would be. Mesmerising.

Piers Gaveston, in exile from England in his native France, receives a letter from his friend and lover, Edward II. Upon the death of his father, Edward II has been crowned King of England, and in his letter he reveals that he has revoked Gaveston's banishment and wants him to share in his own wealth and power. Gaveston eagerly complies, delighted at the prospect of seeing Edward but also hopeful that he can use the King's affection to his own advantage. The King’s decision is one that is not popular with everyone though.

It's always interesting to see how far a Director will go to when modernising a classic like Marlowe, and I think Ellen Schaffert and G Brooke, whose debut show this is, got the balance right.

Their Producers are Sam André-Paul and Abigail Platt who both help making this play the wonderful production that it is.

The costumes are modern, the attitude is modern, the dance sections were something I hadn't anticipated but magnified the passions in the play, the neon lighting is modern (1980's), and the music form Depeche Mode gave the soundtrack a nice edgy feel, which I also loved.

With the play written in 1594, it's incredible that the basic content of this play, homophobic hate crime, is still so relevant today. This crime was rife in the Eighties, the decade the play has been updated to; it's still here today, but to think that when Marlowe wrote this play, they were experiencing the same issues, it highlights the sad state of affairs of society, whichever decade, nay century you live in.

I thought the murder scenes were very well done, nothing gory, but clever with the lighting and angles.

Barney Hartwill (Edward II), India Agravat (Isabella) also makes her debut for NNT in this production, Alex Levy (Gaveston/Lightborn), Jack Linley (Young Mortimor), Marianna Whistlecroft ( Kent), Adam Collins (Waewick), Kiara Hohn (Younger Spenser) - all three making debuts for NNT, Georgia Barnwell (Lancaster), Sally Nesbitt (Edward III/Archbishop of Canterbury) and Jacob Gausden (Elder Mortimor, Elder Spenser/Barkeep) really give excellent performances.

There are several long passages to deliver, and they are delivered with plenty of passion, and that is what pulls you into this production, the script and the emotive delivery.

I mentioned the Sound Design earlier, providing that edgy feel, so that along with the incidental music created a certain menacing, dark feel to the play. Arthur McKechnie is the man responsible for producing that dark feel with the sound design, assisted by Jack Ellis.

Sound and light go hand in hand with me, and the tight lighting cues to the sound cues were timed to perfection, creating a really effective reaction to the action. The Lighting Design is by Rachel Elphick, assisted by Skylar Turnbull Hurd, with Technical design by Jacob Dean.

Keeping the Set Design simple was a good idea as well, because it meant that the audience were concentrated on the actors and the script, but the minimal design split the performance area into the sections we could recognise for the various scenes. Clever work, well thought out and designed by Joe Strickland.

Marlowe is one of the greatest Elizabethan writers of tragedy, and this play epitomises that genre, with enough murders to sate any theatre lovers love of demise by sword.

At two hours and forty minutes long - including interval, at first sight may seem a lengthy play, but when you are there drinking in this great script and performance, it feels a lot shorter, a credit to the actors, directors and tech team for capturing your interest and keeping it from start to end.

“Edward II” is at the Nottingham New Theatre until Friday 13 December.