The Mary Wallace theatre in Twickenham is preparing to perform their quirky re-interpretation of Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus from the 14 to the 21 March.
The play, originally written in the 16th century, toys with religious ideas of Satan, temptation and supernatural interference, a psychological horror ideal for fanatics of dark literature and ghost stories like The Exorcist, according to director Pete Messum.
He wanted to ‘quirkify’ this production, bringing a ‘bizarre’ 70’s atmosphere to the gothic themes of the play, blurring the lines between modern and archaic, alien and familiar.
He said: “We’re setting it in 1976 to make it more approachable for a 21st century audience, whilst avoiding the potential issues raised by modern technology.
“If Faustus had a smartphone, it becomes a very different kind of play!”
Messum is working alongside the costume and set design team to realise his absurd inspirations, with the character Mephistopheles embodying a David Bowie-esque look.
This is just one example of his eccentric creative direction, and he has expressed his gratitude to the cast and crew for going along with his ‘most bizarre ideas’.
He said: “Heading into rehearsals, I had a very strong idea of how I wanted this production to look and feel.
“And over the 8 weeks of rehearsals, it’s been really great to experiment with the character dynamics and movements on stage.
“Working with the cast, our assistant director Matt and movement director Asha, I think the scenes have come to life in a really exciting and quite creepy way.”
Many of the creative choices made by the director and production team have been chosen in an attempt to shock a modern audience.
Because the play was performed and written for 16th century society, the themes in themselves, being rebellious to religious consensus, would have been a sufficient shock factor.
However, approaching the material today and trying to re-create that shock has been a challenge, but one that has inspired innovation.
It was this that pushed the plot towards that of a psychological horror and to invoke elements of pop-rock culture like music legend David Bowie.
Tickets are available on their website.
Join the discussion