Faustus: That Damned Woman (NHB Modern Plays) (Nick Hern)

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The flipside to this is that – like ‘Doctor Who’– it’s awork of entertainmentextremely aware of its status as escapism. But its intrinsic frivolity somewhat undermines the efforts Bush has gone to to make Faustus a more serious figure. A permanent theme explored throughout is the seemingly insurmountable range of obstacles women have to overcome to achieve anything in the face of a male-oriented society which leads Johanna to express incredulity when, after her first time jump, she encounters England’s first ever female doctor, so much so Faustus becomes convinced she too must have made the same pact with Lucifer. Extra Content: 'I wanted to create an epic, ambitious, gothic, baroque fever dream of a piece that took a well-known classic and inverted it to say something truthful about the contemporary female experience.' Chris Bush on her play Faustus: That Damned Woman, in The Guardian, 11 December 2019. A fresh, vibrant take on an old, old story. Fausus: That Damned Woman has burst on the Storyhouse stage in a whirlwind of fire, air, earth and water. You probably know the traditional tale of Faust, or Faustus; brought to life many times of the centuries by writers such as Marlowe and Goethe. However, whereas the Faustus’ of old have sought glory and power for themselves, in Chris Bush’s interpretation of the tale, our protagonist Johanna Faustus seeks power and opportunities for women, and to use these opportunities for the world at large as she fights to conquer the unconquerable. Having lost her mother to the witch trials of the 1600s, Johanna seeks to sell her soul to uncover her mothers fate and discover if, as claimed, her mothers name is written in Lucifer’s book. But in considering her trade; her soul for 144 years of unlimited power, the ability to move time forward and to never age; Johanna seeks to use intellect, technology and a fiery grudge to do for others what she could not do for her mother.

Several members of the ensemble take turns to become the character of Mephistopheles, which can often be grating to an audience forced to glare at the acting inconsistencies. The play opens at a time of plague when women are still being executed as witches. Emerging from this vindictive age is Johanna Faustus, grieving the loss of her mother to such a degree that she begs for the opportunity to sacrifice her soul to Lucifer for the remote opportunity of being reunited with her mother in Hell. In this radical reimagining of the classic cautionary tale, Johanna Faustus makes the ultimate sacrifice and sells her soul to wrestle control of her own destiny. She travels through time and changes the course of human history, but can she escape eternal damnation? The Faust myth has fascinated writers for more than 400 years, inspiring two classics of Western theatre by Christopher Marlowe and Goethe. But this story of a man selling his soul to the devil in return for knowledge and fame has always been just that: a story of a man. Jocelyn Jee Esien played Doctor Faustus at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse a year ago but, despite a few changes, it remained Marlowe’s text. Chris Bush has now created a female-led spin on the myth in Faustus: That Damned Woman, using it to explore how women navigate power within a patriarchal system. The character arc she has to pull off, written with such clarity and focus by Bush, is nothing short of miraculous for this is a story which doesn’t just span years but centuries and millennia.

At this point it is essential to mention the exceptional talent that is Olivia Sweeney who commands the stage from start to finish as Johanna with a dominance that is positively awe-inspiring. Christian morality is challenged as Johanna speaks of God’s abandonment of her mother and raises the possibility that an alliance with the devil might lead to good, not evil. But these themes are delivered bare-boned, without enough plotted drama to bring them to life. It’s certainly a compelling idea – albeit one already explored in previous productions like Pauline Randall’s 2018 gender-swapped Faustus at the Globe – but the resulting piece, though impassioned, is unfortunately rather a muddle. Francesca explains. “They’re like women who tried but have been persecuted. So, they’re there, existing on stage, willing the next woman to do it, which is the actress playing Faustus that night. Francesca continued: "In my mind, you’re watching Olivia play Faustus. But if you’d come an hour before, you might have seen another of the ensemble playing Faustus,”

The cast are an undoubted highlight of the performance with Olivia Sweeney a strong and constant presence as Johanna Faustus, the pivotal character in this interpretation which sees a reversal in the motives of the Faustus character. Traditionally, Marlowe’s troubled Doctor had sought power and pleasure from his pact with Lucifer, however, Johanna seeks the power to do only good.As part of the deal, Lucifer leaves Mephistopholes as his agent, or Johanna’s PA depending on interpretation. The part of Mephistopholes is played in turn by each of the supporting cast, with each of them adding a subtle layer of depth of intrigue to the character. This does help to lighten proceedings and shine a light on the talented cast who, along with the deliciously darkadelic stage design, are the strong points of the production.