I think throughout the whole performance how they used the space was an incredible choice of idea. I state this because you can see what’s going on in the background the director showed there’s nothing to hide from the audience so he used the whole stage which meant there weren’t a back stage. The director used good use of space when Dr Faustus was doing he’s monologue, this is because he broke the fourth wall by doing this it engaged the audience and the audience empathised for him more when he was undertaking it. As well as that, there are actors scattered across the stage moving in different directions. What made the performance interesting was the majority of actors with not much of a big role, but because of there movement made them more exciting to watch. This is because they were swarming around the floor slowly like they were demons in hell. There are a lot of levels that had been used for example the people crawling around Dr Faustus was beneath him at all times and he was always higher levelled than them even when sitting down.
The type of costumes the actors wore was suits and Macs. Some of the actors changed costumes for example; a male actor played a pregnant lady so he wore a lady wig and mask. I think it was necessary for them to change costumes for this character so the audience knew that the male actor is a female character in that part, this is because that actor played another role too. The costumes suited the characters very well because the play was set in the past about the early 7o’s. Dr Faustus was a young man dressed in a knitted green cardigan with a blue and white striped shirt on underneath which was tucked in his green-brown trousers worn up to his ankles, he also wore glasses. This costume complimented the character a lot because a majority of people stereotype very clever people, they believe they always wear glasses and are neatly dressed. In my opinion I think that the costumes in the play supported the telling of the story for example when the angles were on stage one of them wore red suit and the other wore white. If I were the director I wouldn’t make everyone wear suits and Macs, or I would make them were suits but not all the time black, other colours too. This is because black makes it all look too dull and too serious; this may be the reason why some of the audience had fallen asleep.
The type of sounds that were used in the performance was when Mephistopheles appeared a thunder storm noise was heard. What effect this had on the performance is that without the sound you wouldn’t have realised that Mephistopheles was there. If I were the director I would add more music in the performance especially in the big parts like when he was signing the paper with he’s blood I would’ve put striking music at that point.
The type of lighting that was used was different colours for instance at the start of the performance there was a big setting with 4/5 men walking around like spy’s. They were walking around spaciously and there was smoke everywhere around the floor. The set felt like a dark underground area, which because of the lighting it made it more effective. There was green lighting making it feel and look more mystifying. The lighting also complimented the characters thoroughly making them look more mysterious. As well as that, another place where lighting was used effectively was when Dr Faustus was doing he’s monologue; there was a spot light over him. By doing this they made Dr Faustus stand out better than other characters and moreover made he’s monologue much more powerful.
There are many characters that play an important role in the play and I learnt a lot of there character, they are:
Faustus: A brilliant man, who thinks he knows all of natural knowledge. He is arrogant, fiery, and possesses a thirst for knowledge. As an intellectual, Faustus is familiar with things (like demon summoning and astrology) not normally considered academic subjects by today's universities. Faustus decides to sell his soul to the devil in exchange for earthly power and knowledge and an additional 24 years of life. He proceeds to waste this time on self-indulgence and low tricks. Faustus is the absolute centre of the play, which has few truly developed characters.
Mephistopheles: in the play he is the devil’s angel who is a puppet master. Mephistopheles seems to be a relative latecomer in the familiar chain of demons. He admits that separation from God is suffering, and is able of fear and pain. But he is gleefully evil, participating at every level in Faustus' destruction. Not only does Mephistopheles get Faustus to sell his soul.
Wagner: Servant to Faustus. He steals Faustus' books and learns how to summon demons. At the end of the play, he seems concerned about his master's fate.
Good Angel and Evil Angel: Personifications of Faustus who give different advice to him at key points. Their characters also reflect Christian belief that humans are assigned guardian angels, and that devils can influence human thoughts.
Lucifer: He appears at a few choice moments in Doctor Faustus, and Marlowe uses "Lucifer" as Satan's proper name.
Beelzebub: One of Lucifer's officers. A powerful demon.
The Seven Deadly Sins: Personifications of the Seven Deadly Sins, not acts but impulses or motivations that lead men to sinful actions. They display themselves in a pageant before Faustus.
Babou Ceesay played Faustus and Simon Rivers played Mephistopheles, they were part of a cast of fifteen all men. Babou ceesay and simon rivers are the actors I thought were very convincing at their role. This is because; when I had watched it they had direct eye contact to the audience which pulled the audience in to it. Clearly they have done a lot of work on movement and it shows to good effect and they speak well when the opening chorus is divided among the ensemble. They successfully told the story this is because what they did specifically to rehearse there part is find out about other information about there role. What also would have helped them was learning more about the key points of the play such as the seven deadly sins which are wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. As an actor what I would have done differently was first of all learn about the original story of Dr Faustus, by doing this it will give me more ideas of how to support my role.
To me the most climatic moment of the play was when Dr Faustus made his decision to sell his soul to the devil. This part in the play was very dramatic because he cut his hand and signed it with his blood which made me empathise for the character.
Overall, I think this play is one to watch the difference between the rights and wrong make it very interesting. Also, the comedy is something very different and a added a good effect to the play. I believe this play appeals to younger audience like my self because of the few modern parts for instance when a picture of Cheryl Cole appeared.
The type of sounds that were used in the performance was when Mephistopheles appeared a thunder storm noise was heard. What effect this had on the performance is that without the sound you wouldn’t have realised that Mephistopheles was there. If I were the director I would add more music in the performance especially in the big parts like when he was signing the paper with he’s blood I would’ve put striking music at that point.
