FAUSTival, a collaborative series of four plays based on the Faust legend and the numerous works of art that sprang from it, has a September offering from The Midnight Company. It’s a double bill, the first being An Apology for the Course and Outcome of Certain Events Delivered by Doctor John Faustus on This His Final Evening, followed by The Hunchback Variations, both from author Mickle Maher.
Joe Hanrahan, Midnight’s artistic director, and David Wassilak team up for both plays. In Apology, Hanrahan is Dr. Faustus, and we do indeed meet him as he is about to go to hell as per the terms of his agreement with Mephistopheles, Wassilak, resplendent in a purple velvet blazer and immense shades. (If you’re not familiar with the story, in a nutshell, Faust sold his eternal soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and pleasure.) On the final day of his earthly life, Faust is plagued by his “servant”, Mephistopheles, whom, he complains, reads his diary and sits on his bed eating boiled eggs. It’s immediately clear we’re in absurdist land (Absurdistan?) and we’re off to the adventure, including recalling yesterday’s trip to the future to buy Hanrahan some clothes at a strange store with the name “Army” in it and visit another whose name he can’t recall, either, except that it was “two words that rhymed, a sort of poem”. Hanrahan delivers the near-monologue as perfect, casual conversation and Wassilak manages to glower without our ever seeing his eyes, no small trick, that.
Deeper in Absurdistan, The Hunchback Variations are a panel discussion between Ludwig van Beethoven, played by Hanrahan, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Wassilak.
Don’t be put off by the phrase “panel discussion”; we’re dealing with a real person and a fictional character who lived (or “lived”) three hundred years apart, so it’s readily apparent this won’t be the usual threadbare beating of expiring horses. And don’t be surprised by the repetition of the scene over and over – watching things fall apart is the game. Wassilak in particular is phenomenal. St. Louis theatre-goers have seen him for years but may never have realized he has an amazingly rubbery face.
For those who haven’t been exposed to this style of theatre, here’s a chance at a very reasonable ticket price, $15. Tonight (Saturday), plus three more days next week. Note the 7 p.m. curtain time on Thursday. Try it. You may really like it. I do.
An Apology for the Course and Outcome of Certain Events Delivered by Doctor John Faustus on This His Final Evening
and
The Hunchback Variations
through September 29
The Monocle
4510 Manchester