12th - 16th October 2010

“I'll believe that Alchemy is a pretty kind of game, somewhat like tricks o' the cards, to cheat a man with charming.”

The Alchemist is a story for our time. It is a tale that must be told.

The Marlowe Society tells the tale anew.

Explosions, potions, music and magic fill the stage in this fresh, visual and visceral take on Ben Jonson’s comic masterpiece. The scene: a dilapidated house in Blackfriars, haunted by a chorus of ‘spirits’, complete with a working drawbridge, chemistry set, prostitute’s boudoir and a flushing toilet. The plan: the greatest con of all. Employing a spectacular set of roles and costumes, Face, Subtle and Dol Common entice, seduce, deceive and hustle their way through Jonson’s most colourful and eclectic collection of characters with hilarious results.

The world-famous Marlowe Society (“a powerhouse of theatrical expertise” – Sir Ian McKellen) was founded in 1907 and boasts alumni including Peter Hall, Trevor Nunn, Sam Mendes, Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi, and Simon Russell Beale. It has recently been described as “the most influential amateur dramatic society in Britain, probably in the world” (Tim Cribb, Bloomsbury and the British Theatre; Salt Publishing, 2007). The Marlowe has developed a reputation for producing exciting, innovative and professional interpretations of such classic texts, attracting some of the finest actors, technicians and creative forces from within Cambridge University.