A Dark Descent - Doctor Faustus

Doctor Faustus played by David Bennett. Photo by Richard Smith Photography.

Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, adapted and directed by David Fletcher, at The Loft Theatre, Leamington Spa from 16 – 26 July.

Review by Alison Manning.

A darkness pervades this production of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, currently on at the Loft Theatre in Leamington Spa, adapted and directed by David Fletcher. The plot is indeed dark, dealing with the story of Faustus who, having exhausted all knowledge and book learning, has a greater thirst for power and knowledge. He declares himself done with physick, divinity, law and philosophy.

He decides to try necromancy in search of deeper, darker knowledge, hoping for power and fame. Summoning up Mephistopheles, Faustus signs a Deed of Gift, pledging his soul to Lucifer in return for 24 years of undreamt-of power, with Mephistopheles at his command. This dark tone of the play pervades throughout the first half, though this builds up to lighter touches, more injections of humour and sometimes higher energy in the second half.

Dark and foreboding. Photo by Richard Smith Photography.

The action takes place amongst a dramatic set of giant books, towering over the actors, dark in colour and theme with demonic-related titles, featuring witchcraft, inferno and sorcery and creating a sense of foreboding and the imposing nature and dominance of knowledge, especially dark knowledge.

The wardrobe choices also reflect the dark and demonic subject matter, with the majority of the costumes in muted shades of reds, browns and blacks, with the occasional splash of white for extra impact, such as for the appearance of Helen of Troy and the white blanket at the end, perhaps symbolising Faustus's ultimate vulnerability.

Doctor Faustus and Mephistopheles. Photo by Richard Smith Photography.

As Faustus dallies with regret, voices projected through loudspeakers, representing a good angel and a bad angel, encourage him to repentance or continuing on the path to ultimate destruction respectively.

The creative team have been given free rein for this production which is filled, we are warned, with “smoke effects, theatrical haze, pyrotechnics and loud sounds,” all adding to the dramatic atmosphere.  The Loft also has a new projector which is used to great effect, not only to project the Latin words for Faustus's spell to summon Mephistopheles, giving them greater impact, but to project the places he visits and also to create flashbacks of scenes, across the stage and the set, including the giant books and entrance doors. These moving projections are also powerful in demonstrating Faustus's newfound knowledge and wonder of the heavens/cosmos and astrology. 

Peter Daly-Dickson as Mephistopheles. Photo by Richard Smith Photography.

The lighting also creates a striking impact, particularly towards the end with rings of red light highlighted on the stage floor and characters dimly and moodily lit on either side of the auditorium. The action does spread out into the audience, breaking the divide between actor and audience and ensuring the latter are more fully immersed, with actors sitting and standing amongst and besides the audience, and some actors even sometimes subtly slithering down the stairs in the aisle.

Doctor Faustus is played well by David Bennett, at times conflicted and at others power hungry. Peter Daly-Dickson plays a serious and imposing Mephistopheles, with a commanding presence. The rest of the ensemble cast play several parts each, quickly and efficiently jumping between roles, including those of the Seven Deadly Sins, who appear with Mephistopheles, and introduce themselves in dramatic style to Faustus, for his entertainment.

Doctor Faustus and Helen of Troy. Photo by Richard Smith Photography.

Faustus’s magical powers gain him the audience of emperors. He initially revels in this power and being able to do what he likes, such as magically being transported to new places. He uses his power sometimes to torment and tease people, but other times uses it for good, such as fulfilling the cravings of a pregnant duchess by getting her out of season grapes. This also made us realise how fortunate we are to taste fruit out of season as this was viewed as magical in Marlowe’s day. He can also supernaturally summon apparitions, often on request to impress people, such as Helen of Troy, causing him to proclaim the famous line that originates in this play: “Was this the face that launched a thousand ships?” as Helen glides elegantly and ethereally around the stage.

The music for this production is an original score by Jonathan Fletcher. This carefully composed music creates an ominous atmosphere and underscores the ghostly, otherworldly nature of the apparitions that Faustus calls forth. The build-up of the music, especially combined with other sound effects such as clock chimes, keep it moving towards its inevitable dark conclusion.

Doctor Faustus is on at the Loft Theatre, Leamington Spa, till Saturday 26 July. Find out more and how to get tickets here: lofttheatrecompany.com/performance/doctor-faustus/