Swive [Elizabeth]
Sam Wanamaker Theatre, London

WATCHING any piece of theatre on the night of a general election is an odd experience. But watching one which shows us a thoughtful, philosophical and astute ruler while the country elects Boris Johnson is particularly jarring.

Ella Hickson’s Swive, tightly directed by Natalie Abrahami, is an epic and sweepingly poetic engagement with the life of Elizabeth I, with her childhood, imprisonment, ascension to the throne, leadership challenges and desires all under scrutiny.

Despite the epic historical scale, a sense of intimacy prevails, with the settings predominantly domestic. Four actors play nine roles, with Nina Cassells as the princess and Abigail Cruttenden as the queen and it is abundantly clear that in both these stages of her life Elizabeth’s power is bound up with her sex.