NEW YORK—Christopher Marlowe’s “Doctor Faustus” is being offered by Classic Stage Company (CSC) in an adaptation by David Bridel and Andrei Belgrader. The latter also directed.
In 15th century Germany, Dr. Faustus (Chris Noth), a gifted scholar, has become disenchanted with conventional topics and wants to address himself to necromancy—black magic. His friends Valdes (Carmen M. Herlihy) and Cornelius (Geoffrey Owens) urge him on.
Soon Mephistopheles (Zach Grenier) joins Faustus and informs him that he will do anything for Faustus that he desires. First Mephistopheles must get permission from the devil, Lucifer (Jeffrey Binder), but soon the deal is set.
Faustus must, however, sign a pact in blood, agreeing that after a term of 24 years, Faustus’s soul will become the property of the devil. No problem, Faustus asserts. He is eager to get started.
