Tired with the pursuit of knowledge through more conventional means and a desire for fame, fortune and glory, Doctor Faustus makes a pact with Lucifer that he will trade his soul in return for 24 years of service by the devil Mephistopheles. Despite warnings from Mephistopheles about what it feels like to fall from the grace of God and live a life of eternal misery and servitude, Faustus signs the pact.
He soon enjoys all that his pact has to offer in terms of notoriety, fame, women and others who he can manipulate at will. He occasionally suffers bouts of consciousness and feelings of guilt where he questions what he is doing. By this time, he has fallen too far and at the end of the 24yrs realises all too late what his fate will be as the devil comes to claim his soul for Lucifer.
Doctor Faustus was written in the late 1590s and initially published in 1604 under the title The Tragicall History of D. Faustus; however the themes in it are still as prevalent today as they were then. Currently showing at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, I wouldn’t say this was a play to go and see if you want to be entertained. The dark themes explored in this play certainly give way to reflection and contemplation but with the exception of a few lighter moments in this modern day adaptation; Doctor Faustus is both dark and disturbing.
I had seen the play before but in a more traditional setting. This adaptation by Colin Teevan was cleverly written and you could see many parallels to the world today. The desire for power, wealth and popularity are still present in society today and whilst people may not go to such extremes to get them you might say that in the pursuit of them they lose sight of what they have.
Overall I found the play quite disturbing, which being the aim, I think, it was achieved with ease. Several scenes such as the appearance of the seven deadly sins were quite unsettling although the costume and make up departments had clearly excelled in their work. The use of the stage as both the main stage for performance and as a side stage dressing and changing area meant that you not only got to see the physical changes the characters went through but also the emotional and mental changes – a more subtle method of contemplation perhaps.
I thought that Siobhan Redmond really surpassed the other cast members in her portrayal of Mephistopheles. She was witty and funny, grave and intimidating. Through the delivery of her lines, she gave you the most to think about and examine about the play as a whole and the other characters. She held the audience’s attention whenever she was on stage and the applause she received at the end was entirely justified.
There was the opportunity to attend a post show talk with the co-writer Colin Teevan. Christopher Marlowe sent his apologies although this being Faustus, they might at least have tried to conjure him up – at what cost though?
Thanks to West Yorkshire Playhouse and Culture Vultures for a very thought provoking evening. I’m glad to say I didn’t have nightmares afterwards!
Doctor Faustus is running until 16th March. For more information and to book tickets go to www.wyp.org.uk
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