In 1587, The Rose Theatre opened on Bankside with Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus the first play to be performed. Now, four-hundred-and-twenty-four years later, the foundations of the original globe are being rediscovered and the new Rose Theatre is to be closed with dim chances of re-opening. The last production to be shown is none other than Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus.
Little Goblin Productions presents an invigorating new production directed by Vince Tycer that takes the age old story of a learned man selling his soul to the devil to new levels of importance. This is a play that has a limited appeal. It is not a Shakespeare play that can entertain the masses if done correctly. It deals with darker subjects and investigates complicated philosophies surrounding temptation, Christianity and basic human needs. However, with Tycer's direction and an incredibly tight cast of high calibre actors, this story is pulled right out of the page and is visually brilliant and incredibly thought provoking.
Set in front of the dark, watery foundations of the original Rose, the stage is set with a desk, a wooden trunk and, in the centre, a bookshelf laden with dusty volumes and a skull. In this tiny space the audience has everything laid out before them at startlingly close proximity, which, as with all small venues, allows them to see every subtle shift in power, every facial expression and even every blink. The perfect set up for unleashing demons and offering dark proposals.
Stand out performances could be found in Christopher Slater as Faustus and Cheska Moon as Mephistophilis. Faustus is certainly not an easy role to play, and Slater performed his many complex speeches with brilliant clarity and charisma, and certainly did not fail in taking us on an exciting and layered journey. With dark eye makeup that accentuated the whites of her eyes, Cheska Moon's first appearance as Mephistophilis presented the complete epitome of a demon from hell. However, as the play developed Moon brought some brilliant new emotional levels to the character so that the audience soon found themselves both warming to and sympathising with this notorious villain.
Other performances that deserve high acclaim were those of Zimmy Ryan and Holly Clarke who portrayed their multiple characters with wonderful zest. Zimmy Ryan's comical portrayals of the Emperor and the Seven Deadly Sins were some of the highlights of the play.
This is certainly a play worth going to see. The direction is imaginative and progressive. The cast are a formidable force who work together as an excellent team. The only criticism I could possibly give would be that the play took a little while to warm up, with actors needing a few minutes for their characters to really take shape, but it wasn't exactly much of a wait. Definitely a must see and a good tribute to this age old theatre.
Doctor Faustus runs at the Rose Theatre, Bankside, London, until 30th June
Tuesday - Saturday 7.30 with Sunday 3.00 matinees.
Tom Ward-Thomas - Writer, actor and many other things. I hope my articles will provide you with a mixture of useful information and some amusing reading.
