STAGE REVIEW 'Faustus' gives dark warning

The cast was magnificent in this gloomy story of ambition and arrogance.
By GARRY L. CLARK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The opening performance of "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" by Youngstown State University's theater department's took its audience into the depths of a soul's despair Thursday evening at Ford Theater in Bliss Hall.
Brilliantly acted by a large cast, the Elizabethan morality melodrama by Christopher Marlowe accentuates the torment of a man whose ambitions rob him of his very soul.
Dr. Faustus is an arrogant man, wise in his own conceit and fully enamored of each of the seven deadly sins well before his insatiable desire for power leads him to the depths of evil. Conjuring up the evil spirit Mephistopheles as his companion, he bids him to make a bargain with Satan in which he sells him his soul in return for 24 years of unfathomable ability to perform magic and the black arts.
From that point on, Faustus has all the power he ever desired, but is also incessantly haunted by the finality of what he has done. Even in his desire to repent of his renouncing of God, he finds himself unable to do so and tormented at the very attempt.
Cast
Visiting artist and internationally renowned actor Christopher Martin was riveting in the role of Faustus, as he conveyed an almost palpable mood of the hopelessness of a lost soul.
Providing exposition as Wagner and the chorus (as one would find in Greek tragedy) was the excellent Dangilo Brian Bonilla.
Adam Thatcher was splendid as Mephistopheles, doing Faustus' bidding as his soul slowly spirals into hell.
Melanie Marceau and Alicia Sarkis gave fine renditions of a good and evil angel, respectively. Ably portraying the seven deadly sins were Beth Farrow, pride; Amberly Burge, covetousness; Heidi Davis, wrath; Czarina Charters, gluttony; Nicole Peterson, envy; Nicole Valley, sloth; and Kara Terlecki, lechery. They also were called upon to play other roles during the evening as were many of the other cast members: Alexi Stavrou, Rob Greaves, Anthony Genovese, Joseph Nahhas, Jennifer Davis, Gary Shackleford, Glen Peison, Lisa Pittman, Sean Hayek, Charles Sutton, Matt Pettitt, Darin Munnell and Melissa Bender.
Staging for this production was outstanding, and costuming and makeup were spectacular, superbly showcasing the talents of both the cast and those behind the scenes.
Obviously, "Dr. Faustus" is not a feel-good play. It is a soul-searching glimpse at how prodigious talent improperly used can bring disaster. As director Dr. Dennis Henneman's program notes state: "We are warned that there are significant dangers when we attempt to explore domains beyond our province and then fail to live up to any potential that we may actually possess."
In this day and age of unparalleled discovery, we might do well to study the message of "Dr. Faustus" -- and then heed it.
clark@vindy.com