An imaginative ‘Edward’

​Lengthy. Bloody. Campy. That’s Diversionary’s production of Marlowe’s “Edward II,” the largest (15 cast members) staging the University Heights theater has ever attempted. Under the imaginative direction of Richard Baird, this “Edward II” (about a weak king – albeit a fierce warrior on the battlefield – whose obsession with his male lover incites a conspiracy to depose, and kill, him) strikes the right notes of sweep and solemnity, and the stage fighting (on a small stage to boot) is mightily choreographed. Ross Hellwig, in the title role, and John Polak, as chief antagonist Mortimer, demonstrate booming voices and deep-seated passions.