Edward II

Hot on the heels of his coronation, Edward II recalls his lover Gaveston from exile, lavishing him with titles and riches.

Their all-consuming lust makes enemies of the furious barons and bishops, alienates the King’s once-devoted Queen and tears England to pieces. Ultimately, the monarch himself is destroyed as are many of those who stood both at his side and in his way.

The National offers a contemporary take on Christopher Marlowe’s magnificent, erotic and violent play, with a behind-the-scenes exploration of power, sexual obsession, and a king who treats the realm as his playground. 

In a 21st century reinterpretation that rewrites the rules for staging the classics, director Joe Hill-Gibbins strips back the carefully polished veneer of a kingdom, exposing a hotbed of corruption, deceit and hedonism.  

Ingenious sets by Lizzie Clachan, the designer of many of Shunt’s most memorable events, contribute to a startling, totally compelling theatrical experience.