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.”