Review: DOCTOR FAUSTUS, Southwark Playhouse

Photo credit: Charles Flint

Theatre is never a "one size fits all" sort of thing. There are many different genres of the artform, and while many choose to focus on the mainstream commercial big budget mega musicals on the West End, we can sometimes forget that some theatre fans like their performances to be a little more...unusual…avant garde. This is definitely the case for Doctor Faustus at the Southwark Playhouse.

As you enter, the design of the space feels immersive and atmospheric. Sorcha Corcoran has a keen eye for detail and you can see the effort that has gone into the very tactile wall upstage, full of notes and string, each image individual and sometimes many handwritten notes that can be read before and after the show - very impressive.

It's a very old story, originating in the 1500's that has inspired many productions with a range of ideas all open to interpretation. The basis being the story of a scholar who sells his soul to the devil in return for unlimited knowledge. Lazarus Theatre have made many bold decisions that, within the intimate space of this theatre, can be a little uncomfortable, comedic, and slightly odd, sometimes, we feel, for the wrong reasons.

The production has a very specific audience in mind so if you don't fit into that group, the show will have no issue in leaving you behind, wondering what on earth (or heaven or hell) is going on. We felt at times as if the cast were in on a joke that we were not, meaning at no point could we properly connect with the story or its characters, which is unfortunate as there were creative ideas here and there; it was just too inaccessible and isolating for us.

While the central performance from Jamie O'Neill may be charismatic, a production is very little without an audience and once you isolate them, you lose them and it's very hard to come back on side. If only this production were more widely accessible, we'd be able to look into the statements it was trying to make, as we feel there was certainly a *lot* to be said for its ideas on religion, mortality and the afterlife.

If you're up for something incredibly unusual and off the beaten track, this is for you, alas, not for the casual theatregoer.

** Two stars

Reviewed by: Callum Wallace

Doctor Faustus plays at Southwark Playhouse until 1 October, with tickets available here.