FAUSTUS IN AFRICA!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Flipside Theatre, Baxter Centre

26 February 2025 - 22 March 2025

Watched: 13 March 2025

Faustus in Africa! is not so much a performance as it is a living, breathing work of art—one that belongs in the same canon as a masterful oil painting or marble sculpture. In the hands of the Handspring Puppet Company and William Kentridge, theatre is reasserted as a classical artform: complex, layered, and unapologetically intellectual.

A reimagining of Goethe’s Faust, this production draws heavily on the political and historical realities of Africa, framing the story around a colonial figure whose descent mirrors the moral decay of empires. The result is deeply philosophical—an interrogation of greed, power, and complicity that feels as timely as it is timeless.

But what elevates Faustus in Africa! beyond mere adaptation is its extraordinary technical execution. The lighting design is simply exquisite. Rather than relying on elaborate sets, the production uses shifts in light, shadow, and colour to move through time, space, and emotion. Scene changes feel like brushstrokes—precise, expressive, and entirely integral to the narrative’s tone. Moments of brightness become sudden revelations; pools of darkness signal descent, danger, or doubt.

The music, too, is essential and unforgettable. Composed by Warrick Sony and the late James Phillips, the score weaves itself into the fabric of the performance—sometimes subtle and ambient, sometimes bold and confrontational. It shapes the emotional cadence of each scene and enhances the surrealism of Kentridge’s visual language. At times, the music and soundscape do more than accompany the action—they speak for it.

Kentridge’s direction is singular. His charcoal animations flicker across the stage like memory fragments or dreams, giving the piece a fractured, layered aesthetic. These visuals aren’t decorative—they’re narrative devices, offering commentary, context, and mood. It’s a signature approach, and here, it feels sharper and more integrated than ever.

The puppetry by Handspring remains astonishing. These are not props but co-performers, imbued with a frightening degree of character and agency. The Hyena puppet, in particular, is a grotesque marvel—mocking, leering, and disturbingly lifelike. The actors and puppeteers move in synchrony, vanishing into the rhythm of the piece, allowing the story to unfold with haunting clarity.

Still, Faustus in Africa! is not light viewing. It doesn’t try to entertain in the traditional sense. The material is dense, the tone often bleak, and the takeaways unsettling. But like the best art, it asks something of its audience. It insists on being considered. It lingers.

This production reminds us that theatre, when handled with care and intellect, is as powerful a medium for expression and critique as any canvas or chisel. Its emotional impact lies not in spectacle but in the precision of its elements—light, sound, voice, and movement, all fused with intent.

Faustus in Africa! may not be “enjoyable” in the conventional sense—but it is essential. A bold, technically masterful piece that rewards its audience with insight, not ease. A true act of theatre-as-art.