There may not be any real devils in Christopher Marlowe’s Elizabethan-era classic The Tragic History of Dr. Faustus, but Off the Wall Theater director Dale Gutzman makes some devilishly clever choices in taking the audience into Faustus’ world.
The production begins in 1920s Germany, as a singer (Kristen Pagenkopf) entertains a party crowd. The guests sip wine delivered by a butler, and soon the good times seem headed towards debauchery. A narrator (Mohammad N. ElBsat) introduces us to some of the characters, as well as the context of the play. One of the party guests is Dr. Faustus (a compelling Jeremy C. Welter) who seems mostly interested in reading a pile of books sitting next to him on a table. Faustus, a physician, wonders why doctors are limited to healing the sick. He muses that if doctors had the power to restore life to those who have died, now that would be truly miraculous. It also would give them super-human status.
After picking up a copy of the Bible and reading that, “the reward of sin is death,” he hurls the book across the room. Sensing Faustus’s dissatisfaction, a pair of unsavory partygoers invite Faustus to share in their incantations. They lead him to believe that he’ll have success in summoning the devil’s henchman, Mephistopheles (James Strange).
Using light cues and some dry ice, a mysterious aura surrounds Faustus as he offers to sell his soul to the devil. A good angel, clad in white with a white painted face (Barbara Weber), tries mightily to get Faustus to seek redemption. But the Bad Angel (Nathan Danzer, dressed as a woman in a long, black, sexy gown) is having more success in promising Faustus a life of luxury, sex, and power.
As pointed out in the director’s notes, the legend of Faustus is so fascinating that it has permeated all forms of performing arts, from ballet and opera to film and TV. Literature, from stories written in the 1600s to contemporary fiction, is filled with variations on this theme.
Director Dale Gutzman and his large cast do an excellent job of pitting these two opposite forces (heaven and hell) against each other. Eventually, Lucifer appears (James Feeley). He is not inclined to let Faustus welch on his bet.
This all takes place in Nazi Germany, with the Seven Deadly Sins wearing yellow stars to indicate their imprisonment. After Faustus tires of their antics, he and Mephistopheles embark on a trip around the world. He eventually meets Hitler and impresses him with a magic trick. The scenes between Faustus and Mephistopheles are among the play’s best. As Faustus prods Mephistopheles to tell him what hell looks like, Mephistopheles sadly reminds him that “this IS hell,” meaning that they will never achieve the bliss and harmony that heaven affords. Gutzman does an excellent job of weaving Nazi rhetoric with the Faustus theme. Even if playgoers aren’t familiar with the nuances of the Faustus story, they can see pure evil as represented in the Nazi movement. The Tragic History of Dr. Faustus is chilling to watch, and impossible to forget.
