Faustus

Synopsis

This journey through temptation, magic, sin and despair, questions the true nature of power and the ultimate purpose and value of being human. Raw comedy and tragedy combine to reveal the story of a flawed and isolated man.

Our Review:

26 October 2006

“This night I’ll conjure, or I’ll die,” says Christopher Marlowe’s Dr Faustus, and so he sells his soul to the devil and embarks on a series of indulgences and adventures that take him to death’s door anyway. The “big idea” of director Rupert Goold and his Headlong Theatre (formerly the Oxford Stage Company) is that Faustus leaves his dark, book-lined study for the bright white nightmare world of modern art.

To be more specific, the world of Brit Art, where the visions he encounters are those created by the Chapman brothers, Jake and Dinos. It's an audacious and imaginative conceit that does not quite work, as Marlowe’s play seems constrained and reduced. The Chapmans’ “Hell” is the obvious link – “Hell hath no limits nor is circumscribed in one self place” – a swastika-shaped tableau dotted with tiny Nazi figures.

At least in that respect the production honours the current West End craze for evoking the Third Reich – along with The Producers, <...

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Latest User Review

81.153.179.171) - 9 November 2006:

This isn't Marlowe's play, but it is an enthralling night in the theatre. In the first half, it seems like scenes from two plays being played alternately, but in the second half they weave in-and-out and it flows very well. The stagecraft really is exceptional and the performances excellent. I found it very intelligent, challenging and thought provoking (and the best thing at Hampstead in ages)....

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