San Diego Playbill

Faust Fragments
by UCSD Theatre and Dance

Making deals with the Devil can make for some intriguing storylines. Faust is one of the classic works, a collection of stories written by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Faust is an educated man who is well read in science and philosophy, but his vast knowledge gives him no pleasure. He decides to reject his learning and instead seek pleasure by doing whatever he wants in the here and now, unconcerned with what happens to his soul in the hereafter.

Or so he says. Actually, Faust (Ian Bedford) makes a deal with the demon Mephistopheles (Marsha Stephanie Blake) that gives his soul an escape clause. He bets that even if Mephistopheles gives him whatever he asks for in life, he will never be content. The moment that he wants things to stay the way they are, the Devil can have his soul. But if that never happens before his death, the Devil loses Faust's soul.

In UCSD's Faust Fragments (from translations by Howard Brenton), the play first shows us why and how Faust and Mephistopheles come to their pact. It then portrays a couple of the many stories written by Goethe. The first one has Faust falling madly in love with a young girl (Margareta, played by Joy Osmanski) who he just met. He demands that Mephistopheles help him win her heart. Religiously pious Margareta is torn between her passion for Faust and her knowledge that he is non-religious and that there is something sort of evil about his "friend," but in the end she gives into her passion ... before the wedding. After all, marriage was pretty much out of the question for Faust. He had to keep moving on, never content in any one place or with any one person. But their love child would be the ruin of Margareta, and thus Faust destroyed the person he loved.

Act Two is a mindbender. Faust has moved on from Margareta. We find him now performing on stage in front of the Emperor and his courtiers. Faust wants to do the Trojan War, and he wants Mephistopheles to get him the real Helen of Troy for the performance. Mephistopheles gives him the key to the Greek underworld where he finds Helen (Joy Osmanski) and Paris (John Staley) and brings them to the stage for the nobles. Strangely, the passion between Helen and Paris touches off a minor orgy. The lovefest is cut short when Faust is overcome by Helen's beauty (she looks remarkably like his old love, Margareta), and he grabs her arm. The flustered nobility return to their seats and the Trojans return to their death, but Faust chases Helen into the underworld where things get even stranger.

The performances by the cast were quite good, especially Marsha Stephanie Blake as Mephistopheles who clearly enjoys her career as a devil. Scenic Designer Jerry Sonnenberg does some extremely creative and aesthetically appealing set designs. And Costume Designer Rebecca Lustig put together several terrific costumes for the varied settings. The plot, however, is often difficult to follow and seems terribly "fragmented." And if you're expecting some moral lessons in this tale of making deals with the Devil, any lessons you learn will be ambiguous at best. But if you're a big Faust fan, or like bizarre stories that can lead to countless hours of philosophical debate, this may be just for you!

Rob Hopper
San Diego Playbill

~ Cast ~

Mephistopheles: Marsha Stephanie Blake
The Lord: Guillermo Aviles-Rodriguez
Faust: Ian Bedford
Wagner: Zan Aufderheide
Margareta: Joy Osmanski
Martha: Lindsay Frame
Lieschen: Zan Aufderheide
Emperor: Guillermo Aviles-Rodriguez
Chamberlaine: Alex Smith
Paris: John Staley
Helen: Joy Osmanski
Menelaus: Alex Smith
Lynceus: John Staley
Euphorion: Alex Smith
Care: Tamala Horbianski

~ Ensemble ~

Citizens in the Park: Kathleen Carthy, Lindsay Frame, Tamala Horbianski, Carly Kleiner, Dikla Marshall, Alex Smith, Jennifer Smith-DeCastroverde, John Staley
Courtiers: Zan Aufderheide, Kathleen Carthy, Lindsay Frame, Tamala Horbianski, Carly Kleiner, Dikla Marshall, Jennifer Smith-DeCastroverde
Sphinxes: Kathleen Carthy, Dikla Marshall, Jennifer Smith-DeCastroverde
Helen's Chorus: Zan Aufderheide, Lindsay Frame, Tamala Horbianski, Carly Kleiner
Angels: Lindsay Frame, Carly Kleiner, Jennifer Smith-DeCastroverde

Director: Brian Kulick
Scenic Designer: Jerry Sonnenberg
Costume Designer: Rebecca Lustig
Lighting Designer: Jennifer Setlow
Production Stage Manager: Andrew Haver
Assistant Director: Daisy Walker
Assistant Scenic Designer: Ryan Palmer
Assistant Costume Designer: Maria Zamansky
Assistant Lighting Designer: Scott Grabau
Stage Manager: Dana DePaul
Assistant Stage Manager: Fiona Prentice