Marlowe at the Globe? Surely he and Shakespeare were competitors as well as contemporaries? Or are you one of the conspiracy theorists who believe that these two gents were one and the same man? Whatever your view Marlowe has been welcomed into the 'new' Globe for 2011, with his play
Doctor Faustus.
The character of Faust isn't always a doctor, but this detail aside, this is the same Faust who sells his soul to the devil in return for knowledge earthly pleasures. In
Marlowe's Doctor Faustus he has an interest in the dark arts of the occult and, impatient with his studies, he makes his evil pact in return for magical powers, and 24 years of service from Mephistopheles. But Faust is no fool, despite his poor judgement, and he realises early on that this may have not been the savviest course of action, so while Mephistopheles distracts him with entertainments – often anarchic comedies – Faust ponders his own humanity and the terrifying nature of the fate he's signed up for.
All of which makes for interesting times for Director Matthew Duster and Faust-player Paul Hilton.
As well as being known for his place in 'the bard's shadow' – or was he pulling the puppet strings? - Christopher Marlowe is also known best for his lurid and thrilling tragedies in blank verse, his untimely death and the rumours that he may have been a spy. His Faust was the first to appear on the stage, though the story dates from the 4th century, and deviated from the standard text by his Faust's disinclination to repent and his subsequent tearing to bits by demons. See, told you Marlowe was the more lurid and thrilling Elizabethan playwright.
So much so that rumours abounded that Marlowe somehow caused real demons to appear on the stage during the performance - to the surprise and horror of his actors. While modern stagecraft has made this sort of effect more common and easier to produce, the traditional construction of
The Globe means that if you do see a demon that looks too real to be true you might want to be careful.
