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Dr
Faustus |
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Opening Marlowe's tragedy of pride with a circus ringmaster clowning and swaggering the chorus had a mixed response from the audience in the fine outdoor setting. Mixed feelings were heard to be expressed during the interval about the performance as a whole in fact, some audience members pining for a more 'traditional' production, some clearly enthralled by the spectacle. The use of a ringmaster did allow the appearance of control of the action, however. Sarah Goddard's sneers and disgust at the tale of folly were brilliantly played, although a joke about 'difficult' long words wore a little thin. A small cast used to good effect had Goddard playing both good and bad angels (change of rôle indicated by use of masks), a trick that captured the menacing, but also the foolishness of the characters (and of the play as a whole). Faustus (played by Phillip Edgerley) interacted well with his audience as he portrayed a rather silly sage, almost childlike in his glee at silly pranks but anguished and crazed in his final hour. If Marlowe meant his audience to understand that the shows and spirits raised by Faustus through Mephistopheles were worthless dross in comparison to the heaven he was losing, the Oxford Shakespeare company presented this perfectly, adding in some colloquialisms to the speech of the fools (Wagner, Robin and Dick) and modern slapstick (such as a custard pie in the face of the false Pope). A female Mephistopheles (Charlotte Windmill) allowed for a disturbing transformation into Helen of Troy, as well as an intimacy with the devil that came very close to flirting. The dignity of the part next to the foolish arrogance of Faustus was clear; so too was the seductive power of Lucifer's minister. Either the director's timing was perfect, or the performance lucky, as the nearby church bells sounded as Faustus gave up his soul and, again, as his eleventh hour arrived. Sound, whether a mocking kazoo or the eerie beating of a drum, was used altogether well. In fact, it was such attention to detail that made this performance shine - the prettily wrapped book presented to the childish Faustus by Lucifer; the unreal air given to all but Faustus by white makeup. Tragedy was brought firmly to the forefront in the final few scenes as Edgerley's Faustus loses interest in the spirits and fancies he has been amused with. Dross does not satisfy him, and what was ridiculous becomes fearful and tragic. Hosier has directed a captivating production of Marlowe's Dr Faustus, and the outdoor setting really comes into its own in the final few moments of the play, as darkness falls for us as well as for Faustus. C.
Robertson
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