Faustus

This tale of how a brilliant man sells his soul to the devil in return for twenty four years of earthly pleasure has attracted writers in all genres for four centuries. This latest adaptation (of Thomas Mann’s novel) is different to any other I have seen in many respects.

In this version our hero is Adrian Leverkuhn, (Edward Sayer) a musical prodigy, who ends up trading his ability to love in return for musical genius. Though Mann’s novel is set in the twentieth century, and is actually part parable about the rise and fall of the Third Reich, Jack Hartnell’s adaptation is set in eighteenth century Germany. The story is quite lucidly told by the nine-strong ensemble, with particularly fine acting from Katie Carpenter (the devil character) and Sayer in the title role.

The production values are way and above anything I’ve seen in Edinburgh this year, so they obviously have a decent budget. Christopher Richardson’s set is fantastic, reminiscent of the RSC’s Nicholas Nickelby production, and works perfectly under Richard House’s lights. This venue also shows it off to its best effect, as set and real space meld into one. Simone Jones’s costumes are also exquisite, with superb attention to detail.

There’s much good musical work from a quintet placed high on a balcony, my only complaint being that occasionally they are far too loud over some of the dialogue. Hartnell’s direction is slick, though this whistle-stop tour through one man’s life is rushed - can one ever do justice to an entire life in an hour?

It’s all beautifully put together, but left me rather cold emotionally. This legend goes beyond traditional tragedy, when the tragic is usually represented by death. Faustus is looking at an eternity of pain, a concept lost on our increasingly secular and atheistic world. It’s a hard trick to pull off, to make an audience peer into that void. It should be terrifying. This production doesn’t quite get there, but it’s worth seeing for the high standard of its presentation and execution.