Educational Media Reviews Online

Doctor Faustus is one of a series of plays from the classical repertory brought to DVD from productions recorded at Greenwich Theatre in London. The distributor has issued for each of the plays three-disc sets specifically designed for educational use. For Doctor Faustus, disc one presents the complete play, recorded by multiple cameras during a single performance by Greenwich Theatre. Disc two contains 48 minutes of interviews with the stage production’s director, set and costume designer, lighting designer, and most of the cast. Disc three presents the complete play seen from a single-camera perspective. The viewer sees the entire stage at all times, and this duplicates the view an audience member attending the live performance would have.

The play, by Christopher Marlowe, was first published in 1604, but had been staged at least twelve years earlier. A second version was published in 1616, adding many new lines and also deleting some. The 1604 version, called the A text, is the one used for the Greenwich Theatre production.

The basic idea of the plot, a man selling his soul to the devil in exchange for something sought after, is familiar even to those who have never seen the play or read it. Those who have read the play, but who have not seen a production, will get a whole new dimension when watching the DVD because of the extensive nonverbal gestures and body movement in the play. Enjoyment of the comic scenes also is greatly enhanced by seeing them acted out.

Like other titles in the series, this DVD set of Doctor Faustus is an excellent resource for both literature and theater classes. Marlowe’s use of language can be appreciated even more by English students when they hear the words spoken by top-flight actors. And they can see the text as it’s spoken by using the optional subtitles on the DVD. The menu provides access to each scene for close study.

Theater students will get good examples of the use of body movement and physical theater watching this production. It’s interesting to hear on disc two how the director and actors worked out the movement they put on the stage. There was free reign for artistic expression since the text said so little about the action. Disc two does not contain as many interviews with crew members as others in this series, such as The Duchess of Malfi, but the set and lighting designer do offer glimpses into how they approached their jobs on the production.

As with all the titles in the series, disc three shows the entire play from a single, fixed camera, showing the entire stage at all times. This is good for students of stagecraft, since they can watch all the entrances, exits, and movement, as well as lighting changes.

The Stage on Screen web site provides additional educational resources to study Doctor Faustus. “The Green Room” section allows (after registration) access to costume galleries, production stills, a close text reading of the play, the director’s text of the play, the original play program, sources, and other material, including the alternative version of the script.

In summary, this work is highly recommended for all institutions that have classes in 17th-century English literature and theater. And you don’t have to make a deal with the Devil to get it.