The Marlowe Papers

It’s quite a tale – of theatre, fame, infamy, gaol, espionage, disgrace, lust, exile, faked death and a despairing loss of name alongside an intensity of self – all against the backdrop of one of the biggest conspiracy theories in literary drama, that Christopher Marlowe was the true author of Shakespeare’s plays.

It’s a hefty undertaking for a one-man performance, and Jamie Martin carried the task with strength and skill. Traversing the stage as he swung mimicking a hung man one moment and buckling swash with steel another, clearly navigating the tricky dialogues between himself as Marlowe and other characters in his tale, Martin’s performance was impressive and articulate to his many talents.

The play itself had a lot to include, and although occasionally confusing with a certain density of information, captured the essence of a man who refused to be held by convention and was eventually bound in a life just as dramatically tragic as any of his own devising – whether you want to include The Bard’s texts in that or not.

The Warren, 15 May 2016

Rating: