Faust

Synopsis

Faust is a man of middle age who has grown tired of life and yearns only for sensual pleasure and for his lost youth. He summons up Mephistopheles, who agrees to grant his desires - but at the price of his eternal soul. An innocent woman, Marguerite, falls victim to this diabolical pact when she is seduced by Faust: the result is her destruction. But whilst for Marguerite there is hope of redemption, for Faust there is none.

Our Review:

7 November 2012

Isolated from his community by his intellectual arrogance Faust (Peter Auty) strikes a bargain with the demon Mephistopheles (James Creeswell). But demons cheat and the price of the bargain is paid by Marguerite (Juanita Lascarro), the innocent lover of Faust.

The process of updating a classic is intended to give it relevance to a contemporary audience. But co-directors Ran Arthur Braun and Rob Kearley bring confusion as well as clarity with their modern day version. Making Faust a sharp-suited banker provides a clear explanation of his isolation and self-loathing. But the co-directors tie themselves in knots trying to avoid equating Marguerite’s infanticide, in the original text, with her abortion, in their revision, and bring in so many extra elements (politicians and right to life groups) that the production becomes unnecessarily complex. Mind you, the Soldiers’ Chorus works great as a political rally.

The sets and visual designs by [Ra...

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