Key Performances and Productions

Although Doctor Faustus was one of the most popular plays of the early modern stage, it can hardly be said to have been performed at all from the closing of the theatres in 1642 until the eve of the twentieth century. When Puritan authorities put an end to dramatic performances in England in the run-up to the civil war, they made an irrevocable break in the traditions of the Renaissance theatre. There was no drama performed publicly in England for a generation, until the Restoration of Charles II. The theatres that opened in 1660 were very different from those of the early modern period, with female actors and perspective scenery only the most obvious changes. Tastes had changed and memories had faded during the 18 years when there was no theatre in London. Marlowe’s star had waned, and his most famous play, which had remained popular for decades after his death, was now mainly a vehicle for music, dance, and comedy, and would not be revived in its own right for more than 200 years.