I had been looking forward to seeing this from as soon as I saw it was starring Jodie McNee. I'd really enjoyed Jodie's performance in Venice Preserved at the RSC last year, as well as seeing her appearances in the series Britannia on Sky TV. Then they released some lovely looking production photos and I knew it was going to be a must see.
Faustus: That Damned Woman is a modern retelling, written by Chris Bush, of the classic tragedy play Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. It tells the story of Johanna Faustus, who sells her soul to the devil in order to find out what happened to her mother. In this tale we start in Stuart England, before crossing the centuries to Victorian England and beyond into the future. It has been directed by Caroline Byrne.
The production is very striking. We have a lovely set, which alters and moves after the first act. The lighting is excellent, very atmospheric and moody. The costumes however are on another level entirely. They are absolutely beautiful. Faustus herself has many costume changes through the course of the play, and as we travel through time periods so do the whole cast's costume change as well. The only holdout is Mephistopheles, the demon, who keeps his striking white demonic outfit on for the majority of the play.
The actors are all superb. The star, of course, is Jodie McNee. Her performance as Johanna Faustus is, in a word, magnificent. Even when she isn't speaking on stage your eyes are drawn to her. Danny Lee Wynter plays Mephistopheles. This is one of those evil bad guy roles that every actor would simply love to play, and Danny has real fun with the role and makes it his. He has a terrific presence on stage. Barnaby Power is also great as Lucifer, he leaves no doubt as to whose really in charge. Tim Samuels plays the Judge while Emmanuella Cole, Alicia Charles and Katherine Carlton play a variety of roles. They are all great actors and together make this production exciting and vibrant.
Definitely a must see, I wish it was on longer so I could see it multiple times. The cast is tremendous, the writing is excellent and the staging is beautiful.
It does go on tour now for a few weeks, to Bristol, Leeds and Newcastle, so it is definitely worth checking out if you're near any of those venues.
Check out their website for ticket information here : https://headlong.co.uk/productions/faustus-damned-woman/
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