Faustus by Shakespearemachine

There is a beautiful three-sided stage in the multi-purpose arts building across from the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. It also contains gallery space, the offices of Fort Wayne Trails, and a coffee shop. It's next door to the Park Place Building (on the other corner of Barr Street and Main).

In the photo above, I reveal just our heads, because the selfie is not important - but, the brilliant acting by the Shakespearemachine company, is.

Faustus is the story of a German genius who makes a deal with the devil. Faustus is bored with the limits of his academic studies and wants to learn about magic and necromancy (black magic). He urges his assistant, Wagner, to conjure and bring out dark spirits. Eventually, the servant of Lucifer, named Mephistophilis, is brought before him. Faustus signs a deal with the devil for him to be bound to Mephistophilis for twenty-four long years. For this, he receives unlimited power. He has second thoughts, but the temptation of jewels, riches, and other luxuries intoxicate him, and prolong his struggle with good versus evil. He indulges himself and goes on a twenty-four year reign of terror; binging, sexing, and otherwise indulging in self-destructive behavior.

Our local cast put on an amazing performance. Chase Francis was absolutely transformed into his role of Faustus. He memorized an amazing cadre of lines, and stumbled not a single moment. Voice wonderful, presence electric, his brilliant physicality was unmatched. The perfect antagonist was Halee Brant as the henchman of the devil: Mephistophilis. She commanded the room in this role, and took on a part as lead puppeteer to dramatize the seven deadly sins: greed, sloth, gluttony, rage, envy, lasciviousness and pride, (although I may not have remembered them all correctly). Ms. Brant was a skilled puppeteer and played all her parts seamlessly.

There were only six actors in the Shakespearemachine performance. They switched from part to part with no noise. We were thrilled to see them arising from under the stage, running in and out of the stage wings, and appearing from doors in the back stage wall. They even came out from trap doors under the stage floor. Each was unrecognizable in a constantly parading change of masks and costumes.

Nick Tash was an inspired director and lighting designer. Simple lamps lit performers so their silhouettes appeared as giants. Floor lamps doubled as instruments for simulated masturbation. Books lit up until they seemed to be objects from a dark world, luring subjects into hell. A hooded and masked Alex Volz accompanied the show with 'Muzak'- actually, the heavy metal, electric guitar version of such.

It was a wonderful performance by a half-dozen local actors playing all the parts, with cast and crew adding to the body count. Playwright Christopher Marlowe was a contemporary of William Shakepeare. Son of a Canterbury shoemaker, he received a Master of Arts degree and became a dramatist to give the other greats of his time - pause. For much of his life, Marlowe was thought to be a spy for Queen Elizabeth I. Later, he was charged for a crime for which he could be put to death: atheism and blasphemy. He died at the tender age of 29, having been stabbed over a tavern bill.

Perhaps had Marlowe lived longer, he would have given the Bard a serious run for the money. Yet, it is considered even with his young death, Marlowe influenced Shakespeare greatly. We know we loved this company's mind blowing production of Faustus, and can't wait to see their production of Macbeth in November of 2018.