Faustus: That Damned Woman (NHB Modern Plays) (Nick Hern)

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The play opens at a time of plague when women are still being executed as witches. Emerging from this vindictive age is Johanna Faustus, grieving the loss of her mother to such a degree that she begs for the opportunity to sacrifice her soul to Lucifer for the remote opportunity of being reunited with her mother in Hell. However, I felt this was a successful decision by director Francesca, as it added an ethereal, otherworldly appearance to the character leaving me wonder - is there a devil in everyone? Every bit of this production is going into this woman’s psyche and seeing how she can use her skill and intelligence, and it’s how she navigates the obstacles in every time zone that she’s in The play follows the title character as she travels through history, however many elements of misogyny and inequality remain.

Supported by a strong ensemble, they use movement and dance, developed with Fallen Angels Dance Theatre, to portray brutal killings and iconic moments in history which was essential for moving the story forward. The character of Mephistopheles, who is bound to Faustus, is played by a different member of the cast throughout the play as they are able to change their form and appearance due to being a fallen angel of Lucifer. This gives each of the ensemble cast the opportunity to portray the character in their unique way, whilst also having coherent characteristics. Dzey Z Smith is a particular stand out for their portrayal of Mephistopheles in the way they expressed their sinister misogynistic treatment of woman in their attempts to summon the devil. Inspired by a human connection with the four elements, Good Teeth design team have created a timeless setting. With tree roots bursting from the ceiling, as if under the earth, this could be hell. As Mephistopheles states in Marlowe’s interpretation ‘all places shall be hell, that are not heaven’. Dripping water, flaming walls, at any time we could be by a river, in a mansion, on the heath, but never far away from the eternal presence of hell and Mephistopheles. Faustus: That Damned Woman continues at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, Lyric Square, King Street, London W6, until 22 February. Phone 020 8741 6850. lyric.co.uk

Church Times/Sarum College:

The cast are an undoubted highlight of the performance with Olivia Sweeney a strong and constant presence as Johanna Faustus, the pivotal character in this interpretation which sees a reversal in the motives of the Faustus character. Traditionally, Marlowe’s troubled Doctor had sought power and pleasure from his pact with Lucifer, however, Johanna seeks the power to do only good. So, I guess it provokes questions of a woman’s place in society, how we treat women, and today as well, not just through history." Can a woman not – in that most malleable of forms, art – exchange her soul for mortal advantage? Can a woman not write that story? Laying aside the originating historical circumstances – there were numerous references to a German wonder-worker called (Johannes) Faustus in the early-16th century – the imbalance seems particularly odd in the case of this tale.

The demonic compelling tale is told from a female perspective, inverting its protagonist’s true gender, as Bush willingly places Faustus’ damned soul into a female body. She is most definitely not the first to have visualized Faustus as a woman, but from the few that have attempted to do so successfully over the centuries. London is already awash with major re-workings of classic texts, whether nudged into contemporary verse and attitude ( Cyrano de Bergerac at the Playhouse), modern dress and language ( Uncle Vanya at the Harold Pinter) or undergoing wholesale cultural re-orientation ( Three Sisters at the National, relocated to Nigeria). Now, most radically or playfully of all, depending on how receptive you are to it, the Faustian myth is re-dramatised here in a re-gendered version, which signals its intentions in its title of "Faustus That Damned Woman" and propels its title character on a journey through some 144 years of life (an extension that she's bought at the expense of her soul). This scene, as well as many others throughout the play, held up a shining mirror to oneself forcing us to look inwards at the sins we may be unwittingly fulfilling. Olivia Sweeney takes on the part of Johanna Faustus, and whereas in previous interpretations of the tale, the story itself judges the morality of Faustus’s actions, in this production it is the audience who are challenged to take on the role of jury. Do we believe that Sweeney’s Faustus is morally good? Overreaching her power? She is a complicated figure driven by grief, need, and, as the play moves on, almost drunk on opportunity and possibilities. Sweeny’s indefatigable take on the role gives all the more weight and urgency to the characters seemingly impossible aspirations.The ideas behind Caroline Byrne’s production for the Lyric and Headlong are original and ambitious but don’t combine into a glorious whole. It is a shame because there is some fantastic revisionism here. As it is, the play ends up overreaching. The Jacobean tale of Faustus is given a modern reworking in Francesca Goodridge’s pleasingly dark production which retains the element of the diabolical pact of the original story, but only partially delivers on the central concept of feminist struggle. The character arc she has to pull off, written with such clarity and focus by Bush, is nothing short of miraculous for this is a story which doesn’t just span years but centuries and millennia. The Faust myth has fascinated writers for more than 400 years, inspiring two classics of Western theatre by Christopher Marlowe and Goethe. But this story of a man selling his soul to the devil in return for knowledge and fame has always been just that: a story of a man. Jocelyn Jee Esien played Doctor Faustus at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse a year ago but, despite a few changes, it remained Marlowe’s text. Chris Bush has now created a female-led spin on the myth in Faustus: That Damned Woman, using it to explore how women navigate power within a patriarchal system. READ MORE: Thousands line the streets to enjoy welcome return of Chester Pride after a two-year break

In this radical reimagining of the classic cautionary tale, Johanna Faustus makes the ultimate sacrifice and sells her soul to wrestle control of her own destiny. She travels through time and changes the course of human history, but can she escape eternal damnation? The western canon is dominated by male leads, and our industry is stuffed with incredible women who shouldn’t be relegated to always playing someone’s wife or mother. Quite aside from that, it makes my work more interesting, especially when reimagining existing stories. Inserting a woman into a traditionally male narrative complicates things. It creates more edges and obstacles. It highlights the way in which women still operate in a world designed by and for men, and how their very presence can send a story we think we know into strange and exciting directions. Based on the play by infamous playwright Christopher Marlowe and adapted by one of the UK’s most in-demand play writers Chris Bush, Storyhouse Chester is the new home for this reimagining of a classic tale, Faustus: The Damned Woman. Visually dynamic, well produced and thoroughly engaging, Storyhouse has produced a very memorable and striking production. You won’t be disappointed!Despite its darkness, it’s very hopeful. It’s about legacy, it’s about living in a fearless way and facing death If the first half is a sort of mystical feminist revenge thriller then the second half is a sort of mystical feminist redemption saga, as Johanna resolves to do good with her power. As part of the deal, Lucifer leaves Mephistopholes as his agent, or Johanna’s PA depending on interpretation. The part of Mephistopholes is played in turn by each of the supporting cast, with each of them adding a subtle layer of depth of intrigue to the character. This does help to lighten proceedings and shine a light on the talented cast who, along with the deliciously darkadelic stage design, are the strong points of the production. The second half descends into Doctor Who-esque educational time-travelling adventures. Johanna witnesses the Great Fire of London, meets the first woman in Britain to qualify as a physician and surgeon in the 19 th century, squabbles with Pierre and Marie Curie, and – on a quest to discover immortality – joins the digital revolution. There’s an overt feminist slant, voiced in wry lines like “If you knew the lives we women lead, you’d understand the Devil is a catch”, in Johanna raging about the centuries it takes for equality to inch along, or questioning whether marriage and motherhood detract from Marie Curie’s work and individual status as a brilliant scientist.

The opening scene sets the tone for the play amidst Johanna’s mothers hanging for witchcraft. Olivia Sweeney (Johanna) takes the audience on a journey through time whilst conveying a spectrum of emotions in the search for the truth of her mothers death. In my new play, my Faustus is a young woman in 17th-century London, the daughter of a plague doctor father and a herbalist mother who was tried and killed as a witch when Faustus was a girl. She’s grown up with a mistrust of organised religion and a fascination with the occult, and exists on the fringes of society. She has no wealth and little agency. By the time she meets Lucifer she knows the risks but sees his offer as the least bad option available to her. As she tells him:It’s certainly a compelling idea – albeit one already explored in previous productions like Pauline Randall’s 2018 gender-swapped Faustus at the Globe – but the resulting piece, though impassioned, is unfortunately rather a muddle.