Doctor Faustus, The Globe

Mephistopheles and Faustus share a scene

The story of Faust, a scholar who trades his soul with the devil in return for knowledge and power, is a classic German legend and has inspired many works. Doctor Faustus, Marlowe’s 17^th century English play is perhaps one of the most famous interpretations, and certainly the most famous Elizabethan text - aside from Shakespeare of course.

This production at the Globe has all the familiar drama, but the costume and set department is what really shines through. From exquisite Elizabethan dress to a costume not out of place on the set of ‘Chicago’ and to giant furry goats on stilts, they have excelled. Some hard-line critics might dislike this, as sometimes its humour verges on the ridiculous, such as the extending demon emerging from one character behind, but the audience loved it, and it didn’t overly detract from the serious message about sin and greed.

The extras and smaller characters worked hard, portraying a vast number of roles. 

hell goats in action

The black clad book bearer in the opening scene were really effective, the coordinated book slamming creating an air of nervousness, which lent to Faustus’s angsty monologue criticising conventional study. Later they were transformed into demons from hell, playing on modern anxieties with white masks and doll like figures. My personal favourite was the portrayal of the seven deadly sins – I really did feel I was sinning, just by watching.

The actors were also fantastic. Paul Hilton shone as Doctor Faustus, managing the comic scenes but also the dark moments of regret, his performance seeming entirely natural, really getting under the skin of Faustus, leading to the final climatic scene which sees him begging for forgiveness. The other lead, Mephistopheles was taken by Arthur Darvill, otherwise known as Rory from Doctor Who. It was great to see him break out of the underdog role, and take on a character so complex. He could have shown more nastiness, his famous line ‘this is hell, nor am I out of it’ lacked the chilling menace one would expect, but his contemplative stares into the audience definitely conveyed his evil nature (and pleased the fan girls at the front). The audience felt in turns humour, pity and mistrust as his character fluctuated from obedient servant to Faustus to cruel and taunting.

Faustus performs onstage magic

Some elements, admittedly, failed to impress. I found the battle between the good and bad angels a little sidelined and unbelievable, and considering the importance of this to the play, essentially about Faustus’s struggle between good and evil, this was a shame. I found the good angel particularly offensive, she was shouty and whiny, and I could understand why Faustus lent towards the side of evil. Also, the portrayal of Lucifer seemed odd – he was constantly held up by two agents of hell and just seemed like a tired old man rather than the actual personification of actual evil.

Nevertheless, I generally really enjoyed this production. It was constantly engaging with its ambitious set, costume and special effects, and the actors were generally on fine form. Maybe this is not the definitive interpretation but it does what theatre really should – entertains and captures the imagination of its audience. 

All's Well That End's Well - The Globe

‘All’s Well That Ends Well’ is notorious for being one of Shakespeare’s least loved plays, and it is certainly one of the least performed. However, the Globe’s summer production did its best to dispel this negativity, and judging by the reactions of the audience, from the cheers to guffaws and heartfelt ‘awws’, it was successful. Of course, being performed at the Globe the success of the production had a head start, the setting and atmosphere supporting to Shakespeare’s beautiful prose, and making the experience all the more authentic. The use of lavish Jacobean dress and period instruments heightened this sense of steeping back in time.

The acting itself, however, was hit and miss. The performance of James Garnon as Parolles was fantastic, his comic deliverance easing the gap between Shakespearian language and that of today. The audience roared with laughter at his interaction with the irate Lafeu, stealing the limelight from less convincing dialogues from the leads, Helena and Bertram – though Shakespeare himself is at some fault here, as the instant changes in Bertram’s love seem fickle verging on ridiculous. At some points Sam Crane as Bertram and Naomi Cranston as Helena do manage to deliver their lines with force and feeling giving insight into their complex characters – the arrogant yet confused nobleman and the meek yet powerful ‘Modern Woman’, as Helena was dubbed by George Bernard Shaw. But, at other times they fall into overacting, using exaggerated gestures to aid the translation of their lines to the audience – a habit sadly all too common with Shakespearian productions.

Cranston and Dee in performance

Nevertheless, some stellar performances were to be had, notably from Janie Dee playing the Countess of Roussilon, who injected humour and vitality into a role usually taken by much older women.

At times this production was lacking, but it was undeniably an enjoyable and exciting performance, introducing a new era of audience to a previously underappreciated play.