The Tragic History of Dr Faustus

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Brian Davison’s version of Christopher Marlowe’s “ The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus “ was an epic of collaboration. The set was amongst the biggest ever seen in the Bedlam, and featured numerous special effects, including two - way mirrors and flying cutlery, all designed by Alex Roberts, and stage managed by a vast team headed by Stefan Jansen,Andy Nisbet and David Pounder. There was scarcely room for everybody required backstage,including musicians, dancers and a full cast Faustus was played by Richard Metcalf, who, to get in character, had a private dressing room in the cellar beneath the stage- a space known as the crypt. One night, while making up for his part, he looked in the mirror to see his reflected eyes glowing bright red. this reinforced the reputation of the Bedlam as being haunted.In the early 1980’s, the Bedlam even had its own theatre cat, ( black, naturally, ) named ‘Cyclops’, which had free range of the theatre.

Edinburgh’s Bedlam Theatre p.30