Faust, PunchDrunk: must see production
Punchdrunk’s production of Faust is a must see piece of theatre. [Review of Masque of Red Death here]
The journey starts in the effort of finding the disused warehouse in Wapping. No disrespect for Wapping, but as night creeps in and you weave in and out of the mish mash of building sites and Docklands traffic on a Friday night, it sets the scene for a descent into hell…. The atmosphere is what hits you first. A bar, ramshackle in feel and southern American in tone (it’s not important at all but the bar staff’s accents are not 100% convincing – but who cares?). You wear a mask (tip for glasses wearers – if you have contacts use these, the masks aren’t easy to use over glasses; the mask adds to the disorientation but practically it also distinguishes between actors and audience), you go in a shuddery lift and you’re thrown out into a world on walpurgisnacht. Practically, you either end up exploring the world and the detail created or you end up following/chasing a character. The cast are skilled physically and seem organic to the world. The story at every point is clear: the deal with the devil (charismatic and spooky if he starts feeling you up, yes I have personal experience of this), taking the innocence of Gretchen (quirkily beautiful, lithe and beguling in movement), Faust’s descent in to hell…
…and much of the pleasure is in the “smaller details” such as following the plot of a witch (sexy and scary) , or stumbling on a cinema (good for a rest, but I wanted some popcorn too) or someone changing in a bedroom (almost an invasion of privacy, am I meant to be here?); the smell of a pine forest; walking into a cornfield….
I think the play is helped by having a story that the audience knows (and a sheet informing you, in case you don’t) this means you can fill in any gaps that you don’t see. Also, the play goes through two cycles on the night, so you can fill in the missing gaps of the parts that you really want to see. The audience becomes part of the play and the uncertainty of not knowing quite what is happening or where you should go adds to the excitement/pleasure. It has a cousin in what Rabbit (self-assembly) is also aiming at, I think. This theatre where you have to fill in some of the gaps, create some of your own drama. Much of the language of the play is physical and here I witnessed an interesting point. At times, it seems the audience were mystified by some of the physical vocabulary used. Some of it was circus derived, some riffed with dance and the physicality of passion but some was abstracted a stage too far for the audience (judging by what I overheard). I found this interesting because I pretty much liked all the physical expression – I often wanted to reach out and touch the performers/everything. Now, an audience doesn’t need to understand everything to have a profoundly enjoyable or visceral experience of theatre or performance but it made me think of parts of opera or dance which is some times so far removed from “the everyday” that the audience can no longer stretch out to reach it. I don’t think this is a criticism of Punchdrunk, but neither can I think it is a critcism of an audience if they find performance confusing; perhaps it is in the gaps imbetween where confusion becomes clarity or where visceral performance bypasses the brain that we find the most satification.
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If you tire at any stage, head back to the bar where a band is playing. Have a beer or bloody Mary and rejoin the world when you feel up to it.
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I believe the run has been extended until March 2007. Do go. It’s a theatrical experience worth tasting.
Punckdrunk. Booking through NT, +44 (0) 20 7452 3000.
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2 Responses to “Faust, PunchDrunk: must see production”
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About me
I'm a playwright and investment analyst. I have a broad range of interests: food, gardening, innovation & intellectual property, sustainability, architecture & design, writing and the arts. I sit on the board of Talawa Theatre Company and advise a CIS investment trust on socially responsible investments.
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Recent Work
Recent plays include, for theatre: Nakamitsu, Yellow Gentlemen, Lost in Peru, Lemon Love. For radio: Places in Between (R4), Patent Breaking Life Saving (WS).
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Nakamitsu
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Yellow Gentlemen
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The experience that i remember for a life time! Not just theatre, but as steven bercoff said ” theatre without a condom” i just hope for more productions as this show opened my eyes to possibilities that i never knew existed!
[...] For those of you who liked Faust. And I definitely loved it. [...]