Fuast

It feels like life is moving too fast for me to comment on it all here in blog land. However, here's a breif recap of a visit to London with my "Mementos" class to see "FAUST."

If you think there is the slightest chance that you might see Faust before it closes, DO NOT READ THIS! It's better when it's a suprise!

Faust was, without a doubt, the most original, innovative, and interactive theater experience I've ever had. They set up little worlds on four large levels of a warehouse, some surreal, some realistic, all spooky. And the play just happens around you, it's up to you to piece together the plot, and pick a character to follow around in order to make sense of things. All the audience members have to wear masks, and are only allowed to "talk with their eyes." In the "set" of a seedy bar, one of the actresses "talked with her eyes" to me, beckoning me over to the bar, and gave me a free shot!
There was a whole Edward Hopper inspired level, which was probably my favorite, with a Nighthawks-esque diner. Then there were rows of sketchy motel rooms, some shops, an old-time movie theater (with some obscure noir film playing, of course), and other strange tiny rooms tucked away (offices, interrogation rooms). It was fun to follow around the secondary characters, who really didn't have anything to do with the main plot or Dr. Faust, but they'd do a lot of silent improv with each other, and create their own individual storylines.
There was also a great deal of dance and acrobatics: this one girl did an incredible dance with Mephistopholes, where he picked her up and had her walking along the walls and ceiling, leaining against his body. The guy who played Mephistopholes was great, he had the body of an acrobat, and was great at being devilish.
It must have been a lot of hard work to convert that warehouse into what it is now....the lighting/set/sound design has to be everywhere, since people walk around and explore on their own, even if no one is acting there! It's a really amazing thing to experience, and I'm glad I got the chance to see it. Apparently they're sold out, but if they weren't, I would go again in a heartbeat. When I talked to people about their expereiences, there were other plot lines I was completely oblivious to (killing babies? rope daning? what?) I feel like you could go over and over and always see different things.
The name of the company is punchdrunk, and apparently this is how they do all their plays. They did a version of Oedipus in a victorian garden, they did Macbeth in another warehouse, in the style of a Hitchcock thriller (and apparently did some sweet remixes of Bernard Herman scores).