Review: Faust, Part 1 / Shotgun Players
"twid"
May 21, 2009, 9:31 am
TheBackStageDoor.com
(site seems to be defunct)

Mark Jackson brings Faust, Part 1 to Berkeley and the Ashby Stage’s The Shotgun Players. Jackson’s freeing adaption of Goethe’s FAUST falls someplace in between a fairy tale and a gothic horror. It gives a real theatrical presence to Goethe’s closet drama. While the adaption itself is quite intriguing, the real value of the show comes from the direction of Kevin Clarke and Mark Jackson. Jackson’s background in theater is a dance based, full body, physical acting. The beauty of the piece lies in the moment, or lack thereof, portrayed by the actors. Much like Jackson’s Yes Yes to Moscow, we see an outward expression through physical expression of each characters real internal struggle. Jackson does not do realism, in any production I have seen of his, but has an innate ability to draw his audience in through his formalism. What may at first glance appear to distance his viewers from the events ends up being what brings them closer than they have ever encountered the text before.

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