"Doctor Faustus" - Richmond Shakespeare Theatre, 2007

Doctor Faustus

by Christopher Marlowe, adapted by Jeffrey Watkins

Richmond Shakespeare Theatre

In association with the Acts of Faith Festival

February – March 2007

Having directed a demonic Iago in the previous year’s Othello, I was apparently Richmond Shakespeare’s go-to guy for supernatural evil. Again, this was a shortened script, approximately 100 minutes with no intermission, but the cut was by Shakespeare Tavern (Atlanta) artistic director Jeffrey Watkins. This adaptation reduced the cast to two, with one actor (David White) playing Faustus and the other (Graham Birce) playing the remainder. At the Tavern, Mephistophilis was a gleeful tormentor, torturing Faustus every day by forcing him to re-live the events of his fall anew every day.

Our production was much more cynical than Watkins’. If Faustus is damned, so is Mephistophilis. They were portrayed as cellmates in a hellish prison or mental institution, the ever-wakeful Mephistophilis rousing Faustus anew every morning to replay the same events over and over each day until the end of time. Faustus has no memory that it has happened before; Mephistophilis remembers every detail and every repetition. Neither will ever leave this room. Who is the more damned? (The original production concept, in fact, had been to have the actors swap roles every other night, but time constraints would not permit it.)

The show began with the space an utter mess; garbage and broken things everywhere, Faustus tied to his bed asleep in a position of just-completed struggle, Mephistophilis hovering spider-like over him on the headboard. Mephistophilis then activated, cleaning up everything, re-setting the entire scene, and untying Faustus, who he awoke violently. Instantly alert, Faustus started, “Settle thy studies, Faustus, and begin…”

Mephistophilis portrayed an array of characters in increasingly improbably fashion: the Good and Evil Angels were ragged sock puppets, the Emperor an old lecher in a Burger King Crown, Helen of Troy a long-necked wig stand with blonde hair, replaced at the moment of kissing contact by Mephistophilis’ own leering tongue. To summon his demon, Faustus created a machine out of Christmas lights, a hula hoop, Lego, an infant’s toy glued to a top hat, and the scene’s ever-present portable commode. The more improbable the image, the more ludicrous to the audience, the more Faustus was absolutely convinced of its reality. By the end of the play Faustus, rejected by God, was forcibly returned to his bed and bound there by Mephistophilis, the cycle re-initiated.

I was incredibly fortunate to have a pair of actors who were entirely committed and fearlessly physical. The rehearsal process was extremely collaborative, with actors very open to trying new things and director eager to see their suggestions. Many of the best images from the show came as a result of this ensemble performance generation process. Richmond Shakespeare often employs a two-headed directorial system, and Julie Phillips served as my Master of Verse, a role not dissimilar to a sort of uber-dramaturg but in this case more like a co-director.

Doctor Faustus was performed in a thrust, with equal audience on all three sides. The set consisted of a dirty-looking bed, a portable commode seat with a trash can underneath, an ancient footlocker, and a huge pile of used, crumpled, blood-stained contracts up against the wall. Universal lighting was employed, but only Mephistophilis was permitted to make eye contact with the audience. Costumes were ratty, distressed garb resembling that of concentration camp uniforms. Both actors insisted on being barefoot; their idea, not mine. Props were voluminous, largely consisting of broken toys and garbage. Mephistophilis’ face was tattooed on one side with arcane and planetary symbols. The music of King Crimson, all angles and discordance, underscored the show throughout.

Doctor Faustus ran for four weeks in the chapel at Second Presbyterian Church.

 Doctor Faustus (David White) explores and dismisses volumes of philosophy while Mephistophilis (Graham Birce) provides English translation. Photo by Andrew Hamm.

Faustus seems surprised that his demon-summoning machine, constructed from broken toys and garbage, has actually summoned a demon. Photo by Andrew Hamm.

Mephistophilis advances on Faustus, the time for the good doctor to surrender his soul fast approaching. Photo by Andrew Hamm.

Style Weekly: "The production succeeds at making the play easy to talk about despite the challenge of interpreting the flowery English. But the cast manages to harness the emotional currents that flow through the words and illustrate the ideas for the audience despite their arcane syntax. This takes stamina, especially with only two actors.... The audience becomes kids in front of an Advent calendar, waiting to see what crafty prop stunt the actors would pull next."

Richmond Times-Dispatch: "[I]n the adaptation by the Atlanta Shakespeare Company's Jeff Watkins, and filtered through the sensibility of Richmond Shakespeare Theatre, it's a pared-down, souped-up showcase for two actors, a small menagerie of stuffed animals and some sock puppets. There's also a portable commode, Christmas lights and a nod to the movie 'Groundhog Day.' The production, part of the Richmond area's Acts of Faith Festival, shows the influence of master of play Andrew Hamm, who has a strong flair for physicality. Under his direction, the two actors, Graham Birce and David White, fling themselves and each other around the parquet stage with great energy....  For all its wackiness, the serious aspects of 'Doctor Faustus' are still in place."