Sydney Reviews

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Wittenberg is a silly play for smart people. While it might be a little confusing for those who don't have a passing acquaintance with Shakespeare, Marlowe and/or Luther, for those who do, it's freaking hysterical. I thought it was completely brilliant.

Wittenberg is a fantastical literary mashup, serving as prequel to both Hamlet and Dr Faustus. Hamlet (Alexander Butt), the star pupil and resident tennis legend at Wittenberg University, can't choose a major. He's torn between studying under very godly but conflicted theologian Martin Luther (Nick Curnow), and aggressively atheistic and argumentative philosopher-cum-psychologist John Faustus (David Woodland). Hamlet is in the possession of a revolutionary (in the sense of both revolving and revolting) manuscript by Copernicus. Faustus is excited by it, Luther is appalled by it, and so the battle between God (but is there one?) and the devil (would making a deal with him really be so bad?) begins...

This is an absolutely brilliant play, brimming full of references to philosophy, psychology, theology and literature. As an academic, I was probably a bit privileged as an audience member in that I got a lot of the jokes, but I don't think this is the kind of play that is particularly smug. It was funny even if you didn't pick up all the references, and even though the subject matter – two theological debates, one about whether the earth revolves around the sun and the other about the existence of purgatory – seems on the surface quite dry. We see academics Faustus and Luther lecture, reflect, argue and carouse, while Hamlet (as Hamlet does) finds himself mired in indecision. It's incredibly witty: the kind of play Jasper Fforde might write, if he switched from novels to the stage.

It's also dense and complicated, but remains engaging (and hilarious) throughout. Credit should go here not just to writer David Davalos (though a lot should go to him, because this script is awesome) but to director Richard Hilliar, who has translated this play from page to stage beautifully. The direction is simple but precise, driving the show along at a rollicking speed, theological arguments and all. And while the whole cast is excellent, special credit must go to David Woodland, who is totally brilliant as Faustus. He is absolutely on point with his portrayal of the doctor as a charismatic dedicated devil’s advocate, believable both when he is delivering academic lectures on philosophy to conducting pseudo-Freudian psychoanalysis to pleading with his mistress to marry him to playing the ukulele in his local bar. The scene where he and Luther get drunk together and argue about the problem of purgatory while throwing peanuts at each other is perfect.

If it isn’t obvious, I really loved Wittenberg. I thought it was both brilliantly clever and fantastically funny. It’s high culture mashed up and liberally mixed with laughs – the fact that it takes place on a stage festooned with pages from Copernicus and Shakespeare et al is apt. It might be a bit alienating for people who aren’t familiar with at least one of the texts, but as someone who is, I thought it was awesome.


Brevity Theatre Co in association with Sydney Independent Theatre Company
WITTENBERG
by David Davalos

Venue: Old Fitzroy Theatre, 129 Dowling St, Woolloomooloo
Dates: 7 – 25 January 2014
Times: 8pm Tues – Sat, 5pm Sun
Tickets: $32 – $21 | $39 – $28 meal and show
Bookings: www.sitco.net.au | 1300 307 264