Pretender's end hardly boney

Rehearsing for <i>Carluccio and the Queen of Hearts</i> at the Globe recently are (from left) Elsa May (the queen), Joseph Cecchi (Charles Stuart), and Paul Ellicott (Count Vittorio Alfieri). Photo by Jane Dawber

Well, actually, he grew old, angry and sick, took to drink and lived in exile in Italy, an eye kept on him by English spies.

In his old age he married a young wife in an attempt to father a son and heir to his lost throne. And the young wife, bored with her drink-sodden husband, accused him of abusing her, took a lover and left him.

It's a classic story of an old, disintegrating man who takes a young wife, says Nigel Ensor, who is directing a play based on the relationship between Charles Edward Stuart and his young wife, Carluccio and the Queen of Hearts by Scottish journalist, author and playwright, George Rosie. It opens at the Globe Theatre tonight.

The situation may be classic, but Rosie has chosen an unusual set of characters to hang the story on. All but one of them are historical - the fictional character is Jonathan Rudd, sidekick to British diplomat Sir Horace Mann, who was responsible for reporting on the activities of the Young Pretender to the British throne.

The two English spies act rather like a Greek chorus, in that they comment on what's happening and tell the audience what's going on, according to Ensor.

Although the play is set towards the end of the 18th century, the language is modern, and in some cases may be offensive.

It's a black comedy, and there's a lot of fun in it, some of which you feel you probably shouldn't laugh at, and some that may be quite shocking, he said.

See it

Carluccio and the Queen of Hearts by George Rosie, directed by Nigel Ensor, opens at the Globe Theatre tonight and runs until June 4.