Faust | The Gate, London

The ancient legend of Doctor John Faustus has been made the stuff of novels, of plays, of operas, of films and, now, of a puppet show. Except this is not really a puppet show but, as the company stresses, a show with puppets. The Basement Theatre Company is the only independent theatre company in Georgia and works in reaction to the restrictive model of government-sponsored repertory theatre; needless to say, their show is an exciting one.

The ancient legend of Doctor John Faustus has been made the stuff of novels, of plays, of operas, of films and, now, of a puppet show. Except this is not really a puppet show but, as the company stresses, a show with puppets. The Basement Theatre Company is the only independent theatre company in Georgia and works in reaction to the restrictive model of government-sponsored repertory theatre; needless to say, their show is an exciting one.

Based primarily on first part of Goethe's text, it begins in an asylum where an old patient thinks that he is Faust and imagines the doctors to be the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. They give him an injection and he falls, as with all good tales, into a deep sleep, in which he relives the life of Faust. Dissatisfied with his existence, Faust is approached by the dark angel, Mefisto, who agrees to serve him until he utters the words "Stop Time Now, it is beautiful". Through Mefisto, Faust grows young and discovers love, but in this love lies also his downfall.

The extraordinary nature of the legends behind all Faustbuchen means that it eternally teeters on the brink between tragedy and comedy, the romantic sublime and the slapstick ridiculous - Levan Tsuladze's production is no different. The sense of spectacle is elaborate and yet, at the same time, there is a fantastic sense of humour in the characterisation and staging. Above all, it is a show: from the lighting to the costumes, from the set to the special effects, everything is calculated to delight and surprise.

Most compelling is the interaction between puppet and puppeteer. The puppeteers are not merely silent animators, but they, too, are part of the plot: in Being John Malkovich-style, both creator and created work together in real space (rather than in the typical two-dimensional puppet-theatre space). We see the patient in the asylum conjured slowly to life, we see his magical transformation from age to youth and back again, we see the death of his lover's brother: Faust is a journey through the essential elements of existence.

The real highpoint comes when the whole stage opens out and puppets and actors engage in a rather macabre cabaret-style show in accompaniment to Grieg's In The Hall of the Mountain King, puffs of smoke rising around them as they act out the Witch Sabbath in the Valpurgis Woods. Although this play is performed in Russian, don't let that put you off. The story tells itself through the movement and the music, and the inability to comprehend the language channels concentration onto other elements of the performance.