'Dr Faustus'- Duke of York's Theatre, London

If you're one of the literary buffs who has heard of Christopher Marlowe's 'Dr. Faustus', you'd probably be surprised to hear of a theatre production of the play involving full-frontal nudity, rape and a whole lot of bodily fluid.

Recently, I watched The Jamie Lloyd Theatre Company's adaptation of the play and, yes, that is exactly what it entailed. 

'Dr. Faustus' follows the aspirations of academic Dr. John Faustus, who, in exchange for 24 years of power, wealth and honour, agrees to sign his soul away to the Devil. Lloyd's modern rewrite of the play intelligently mixed old with new; instead of presenting heavy criticism of the Catholic Church, the play focuses on the dark side of celebrity.

The titular role of Faustus was performed by none other than Kit Harington (aka Jon Snow of 'Game of Thrones'), who, you'll be pleased to know, was very much alive at the Duke of York's Theatre, London.

For those who know the plot of the play, I will warn you this: the entirety of Acts Three and Four are discarded. Instead, following his bargain with Lucifer's servant, Mephistopheles (played by Jenna Russell), Faustus air-guitars his way into Ibiza, Las Vegas and in front of Barack Obama, whom he dazzles with his magic spectacular, thanks to playwright Colin Creevan's new additions to the plot.

Harington's efforts in his complex part are to be complimented. Whilst the titular role in the play is on stage through the entirety of the two-hour, twenty-minute production, he encapsulates the emotional trauma Faustus undergoes throughout the play, glimmering when he feels unconquerable at his high-points and clambering over tables in agony as the character's pact with the Devil takes its toll at his lows. 

Another particularly memorable performance in the play is Tom Edden's Seven Deadly Sins. Marlowe wrote the play with the show of the Seven Deadly Sins being very much open to the interpretation of the director, and Jamie Lloyd's decision to use one actor to play all seven roles is fresh and certainly pays off. Tom Edden embodies the characteristics of each Sin articulately, with Covertness providing a much-needed comic break from the Faustus' turmoil.

Whilst a devillishly good adaptation of Marlowe's classic, Jamie Lloyd's "Dr. Faustus" is not for the faint-hearted, with adult content that would make any school group squirm. The choreography, lightning and staging uplifts the gothic genre of this dark play,  certainly making it a worthwhile watch.