Snip. Snip. Snip. That’s the sound of the judicious pruning that Vile Passeist Theatre needs to employ when it stages its next play from the Jacobean era. With a start-to-finish time of over three hours (including a 15-minute intermission) their current production of Marlowe’s Edward ll is simply too long and repetitive to enthrall a modern audience. Despite a brilliant (and I mean brilliant) portrayal of the titular king by Ben Irvine, I was ready to finish him with a hot poker myself, just to put an end to the interminable evening. This is a young company oozing with talent and the oh-so earnest desire to bring under-produced theatre to Halifax, but they need to recognize that length does matter. Leave them wanting more, I say, and you’ll soon be playing to the packed houses you deserve. –Kate Watson