This struck me most of all as extremely theatrical and an amazing feat of acting. I was enticed to go by the reviews and can see why they concluded so positively on this production. The evening starts with the allocation of the roles of Faustus and Mephistophilis decided by the two actors striking matches and seeing whose exstinguishes first. This evening it was Oliver Ryan who played Faustus and Sandy Grierson his alter ego.
The production runs for under two hours with no interval and takes us through the essentials of the story of Faustus but in a most lively and exaggerated way. We start with Faustus on stage with piles of books, all of which he finds wanting. He moves to etching a pentagram on the floor and this opens the gate to the ensuing encounters with the devil world. Of particular notes were the deadly sins of pride, covetousness etc as well as gluttony played by an actor with an enormous michelin-man costume. We finish up with Faustus encountering Helen of Troy before being abandoned to his solitude.
No comments:
Post a Comment