'Edward II / is a leader who fails to lead - a king who loses everything because of his addiction to another man. Newly crowned and convinced he's invincible, he flaunts his affair and in doing so, affronts the nation.
'Anthony Weigh's new play gives Christopher Marlowe's 14th century king a facelift, leaving the Elizabethan language behind, to meld the lust and politics of the 14th and 21st centuries to dizzying effect.
'Edward is the narcissist you'll stay up all night for, but there will be blood on the dance floor when the sun rises.
'Marlowe's tale of obsession and revolution has fascinated artists for centuries. Reinvented by Brecht, reimagined by filmmaker Derek Jarman, and now radically revamped by director Matthew Lutton, expect a collision of danger and fabulous extravagance. A perverse, sexy and provocative look at a leader who / pays the ultimate price for making the personal political.'
Source: Malthouse Theatre.
Edward II is included in AustLit because of Australian-written adaptations.