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| Edinburgh : A&E : Theatre : Reviews |
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Theatre listings > Faust Part One & Two. - World Premiere.
Adaptor - John Clifford Director - Mark Thomson. Designer - Francis O'Connor. Lighting Designer - Simon Mills. Associate Lighting Designer - Simon Wilkinson. Composer / Music Director - Philip Pinsky. Choreographer - Malcolm Shields. Video Design - Mike Windle. Company - Royal Lyceum Theatre Company Company Website. Cast - here . Venue - Royal Lyceum Theatre, Grindlay St, Edinburgh. 0131 248 4848. Dates -25 February - 8 April 2006. Full details here . Run Time - Faust One - 2 hours 15 mins including 20 mins Interval. Faust Two - 2 hours including 20 mins Interval Reviewer - Thelma Good. Deliciously seducing. "You're going to two plays? You'll miss this lovely day." That's what a friend said. But by Monday, enthused by another who too had gone to the Royal Lyceum Faust experience, she herself had booked tickets to go. It's a play that takes you to the myths of the past and close to heaven and hell. It's Faust's journey, but it's our own footsteps too we feel we're following.
Paul Brennan's Faust is a cerebral aesthete, and then he alters as he has the pleasure of extreme food and sex, becoming a cruel equally detached tyrant after experiencing the glory of loving the famous Helen. Mephistopheles too finds he changes and we the audience are called upon to bear witness and react to his engaging asides. It's a very powerful adaptation of Faust, one which is extremely funny whilst it also increasingly stimulates our grasp of being and existing, and this premiere production has two fine lead actors who have grasped the alchemy their roles. Francis O'Connor's set, lit with intensity by Simon Mills, uses a tall moveable and dividable semi- circular of metal shelves which, shed of books, becomes a frame for creatures to swarm up and down. With use of the revolve, a huge circular video screen filled with images by Mike Windle, and a mini set the design allows the actors to take us into tiny bedrooms and vast landscapes. There's fantasy in the masked figures from Greek legends, though masks particularly Greek style whole ones frequently fail in modern production, here they still contain their power of being other. While in the first half we encounter the bizarre in the cosmetic surgery clinic staffed by a cat and several large-arsed Baboons. Oh yes there is no escaping the "bad" language and behaviour in this production but it's never gratuitous. Indeed it was agreed by a group in the Part One interval in the Ladies that despite this they were definitely staying because it was "so wonderfully energetic and well acted". On the best form I've seen him, director Mark Thomson and his whole team, the actors especially beguile the audience into watching so that they are entranced before they can resist or be repulsed. And that's where this production has its greatest impact. Sitting in a comfortable well appointed theatre surrounded by many reasonable looking people you become aware that not only are we jeering at the ghastly politician, strong and weak characters you hear also our recognition of our own murky doings, ones we've never mentioned or tried to bury under powerful forgetting. It's strangely heartening to realise we go there, you and I, in reality or in desire. And because God is in the beginning we want to know where Faust and ourselves will end, 'cause if there is hope for him then surely there is hope for us. But it all would be nothing without Clifford's response to Goethe script, the crucial multi-layers with the spiritual questing shocks and shakes, stirring us to examine our beliefs. © Thelma Good 4 March 2006 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com Text of Geothe's Faust translated and introduced by John Clifford is published by Nick Hern Books at £5:99 as part of their Drama Classics collection and is available from them and good booksellers. EdinburghGuide Reviews of Other plays and adaptations by John Clifford - Plays - God's New Frock | The World | Charles Dickens:The Haunted Man | Queen of Spades. Adaptations - Celestina | Anna Karenina. Cast - Faust Part One - Faust - Paul Brennan, Mephistopheles - Dugald Bruce Lockhart, Gretchen - Ruth Connell, Earth Spirit/Martha - Molly Innes, Angel Rafael/ Witch/Gretchen's Mother - Isbella Jarrett, Angel Gabriel/Waiter/Witch - Keith Macpherson, Wagner/McDonald/Baboon - Barnaby Power, Exotic Creature/McTavish/Baboon/Valentine/Witch - Douglas Rankine, Citizen/Exotic Creature/Witch/Singing Angels - Jennifer Rhodes, Director/God/McKenzie/Baboon/Witch - Malcolm Shields, Poet/Witch - Aaron Shirley and Young Woman Student/Cat/Witch - Mary Wells. Faust Part Two - Faust - Paul Brennan, Mephistopheles - Dugald Bruce Lockhart, Ex-Gretchen/Chorus/Siren/Helen/A Grey Woman/Una Poenitentium - Ruth Connell, Phorcyad/Nymph/Chorus/Baucis/A Grey Woman/Magna Peccatrix - Molly Innes, Poet/Angel - Isbella Jarrett, Prick/Chorus/Nereus/Haltefest/Lemur/Angel - Keith Macpherson, Wagner/Chorus/Raufebald/Boy Angel/Lemur - Barnaby Power, Homonculus/Chorus/Centaur/Habebald/Lemur/Angel - Douglas Rankine, Phorcyad/Sphinx/Siren/Chorus/Sorge/Angel - Jennifer Rhodes, Chorus/Lyncaenus/Boy/Lemur/Angel - Malcolm Shields, Emperor/Chorus/Philemon/Lemur/Angel - Aaron Shirley and Graduate/Phorcyad/Siren/Chorus/A Grey Woman/Mulier Samaritana - Mary Wells. Dates. 25 February - 8 April 2006. Dates - * denotes performance of other part also that day. Part 1 - 28 Feb at 7:45pm, 1 March at 2:30pm*, 2 March at 7:45pm, 4 March at 2:30pm*, 7 March at 7:45pm, 8 March at 2:30pm & 7:45pm, 10 March at 7:45pm, 11 March at 2:30pm & 7:45pm, 14, 16 & 17 March at 7:45pm, 21 March at 7:45pm, 22 March at 2:30pm & 7:45pm, 25 March at 2:30pm*, 30 & 31 March at 7:45pm, 1 April at 2:30pm*, 4 & 6 April at 7:45pm and last performance of Part One 8 April at 2:30pm*. Part 2 - 1 March at 7:45pm*, 3 March at 7:45pm, 4 March at 7:45pm*, 9 March at 7:45pm, 15 March at 2:30pm & 7:45pm, 18 March at 2:30pm & 7:45pm, 23 & 24 March at 7:45pm, 25 March at 7:45pm*, 28 March at 7:45pm, 29 March at 2:30pm & 7:45pm, 30 March at 7:45pm, 1 April at 7:45pm*, 5 April at 2:30pm & 7:45pm 7 April at 7:45pm and last performance of Part Two 8 April at 7:45pm*. Theatre Editor, Thelma Good's e-mail is thelma@edinburghguide.com Although every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information presented in these pages, no responsibility can be accepted for any errors or omissions. |
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