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Bored, belittled and frustrated, Mr Faustus dreams of greater things. Life, love and wealth had passed him by. The Residential Home beckons. He longs for one last taste of life. Before it is too late, he wants to make his mark.

He remembers meeting someone, clearly well connected, who had understood all his frustrations. Should he get in touch? There can’t be much danger in talking. After all, what has he got to lose?

FAUSTUS is a devised piece using as source material different versions of the tale of Dr Faustus including those of Goethe and Marlowe. The making of a pact with the devil is a feature of many folk-tales and these have been used to enrich the production. 

FAUSTUS is an original piece redefining the essential elements of the myth but using the well-known archetypal characters of the story. Clown, melodrama, and strong visual imagery are used to animate these characters, making them sympathetic and relevant to a modern audience.

"I just wanted to thank-you for an excellent show last night. I attended the Fautus production at Loughborough Town Hall and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The whole thing, from the acting to the set design and the music was superb. Congratulations."

“provocative and quite devilishly funny”

Ipswich Evening Star on Faustus

"Bored, belittled and frustrated, Mr Faustus dreams of greater things. Life, love and wealth had passed him by. The Residential Home beckons. He longs for one last taste. Before it is too late he wants to make his mark. He remembers meeting someone, clearly well connected, who had understood all his frustrations. Should he get in touch? There can't be much danger in talking. After all, what has he got to lose? Faustus is an original piece redefining the. essential elements of the myth but using the well known archetypal characters of the story. Clown, melodrama and strong. visual imagery are used to animate the characters. making them sympathetic and relevant to a of 2022 (Free and Paid Tools) modern audience.

The design set the tone for the play with the furniture, books and especially the rich drapes in their defining roles - Julian Hanby is to be applauded for this feat as well as the subtle lighting. Gerry Flanagan (director) who also played Faustus made much of his eccentricity and madness and there were many good comedic sequences All the way through I kept trying to think who he reminded me of, wildly ranging from Tommy Cooper to Frank Skinner and then Jasper Carrott. Maybe he was all or none of them and just Gerry Flanagan (any ancestry?) Whoever, he held our attention throughout and if he wasn't on the stage he was clambering through the audience, having descended from the balcony, aided and abetted by Mephistopheles (Eduardo Coelho) who rigged out as an American 'gangster' seemed to play his role as an end of term high-spirited - jinks act. Not that it was inappropriate as madness became mayhem and perfectly depicted in the frantic interchange of he selling of the soul. Paschale Straiton as M's Assistant made full use of her circus skills and was an able butt to the jibes of the others. I would have wished for a little more projection as some of her best lines were lost to the back stalls and balcony but hilariously received by those who could hear the delivery. That said she received a well deserved round of applause for her rendering of There's No Place Like Home played on the saw! 

If there was one small criticism, it was that by the end they were so consumed with their own sense of being 'funny', it was at the expense of the 'serious plays' they were caricaturing and veered towards being franklv silly and childish. Which, of course, being clowns, they were. It's probably because I've never enjoyed the circus and hate the slapstick in pantomimes I have this small reservation. Not so the audience who lapped it up, thoroughly entered into the spirit of an exciting, fun production and gave them three curtain calls. OK, I admit it - I had a great time."

Bristol, Wickham Theatre.

National tour with 39 dates during 2002.