The Devil went down to Sheffield last night for an evening of raucous laughter, sinister manipulations and top-quality interior design! An original SUTCo production written and directed by Lilly Ryan, The Devil Went Down To Parliament revolves around the lives of Ernest, Justus, Charity and Hope as they get pulled into the orbit of the mysterious Lucius, a prolific political advisor. Inspired by Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, Ryan’s production is full of moralistic questioning and satirical comedy, as the so-called apocalypse draws closer as does the characters’ pay-day.
The Devil Went Down To Parliament relies on a small cast of characters to carry the moralistic themes of the play while balancing satire and the performers take on this responsibility with ease. Finch Talbot-Ponsonby has no easy task as Lucius, embodying multiple characters as he ‘shapeshifts’ between meddling men as well as almost constantly occupying the stage and reeling off Milton-esque dialogue, yet he handles it superbly. Lucius is cold and calculating, rarely losing his cool while puppeteering the characters to his devilish will. I have one question re. Lucius though, what is with the suitcase? Talbot-Ponsonby carries multiple suitcases throughout the performance until it disappears late Act Two, I thought maybe Ernest had stolen the suitcase as it held Lucius’s contracts but it never comes back up. Where is that suitcase?
The standout performance for me was Ellen Benant as Charity. Charity is a charity worker (get it? Do you get it?) who through Lucius’s aid, is receiving huge bonuses from a company she runs similarly to Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. Benant shines in the role, her line delivery is spot on and she consistently received hearty laughs whenever she was onstage. My favourite scenes included her interaction with a certain saucy interior designer and her final scene in which she does some major soul bearing. Charity is vicious and air-headed but also grounded; as she spirals following the exposure of her awful management style, Benant is dejected and lost and you truly feel this is a woman on the brink of a narcissistic breakthrough or alcoholism.
The set is minimalistic but it works with the timelessness of the piece, I thought the sound styling/effects were genius and brilliantly timed. I did not notice one slip-up or technical error despite it being opening night. Equally, the soundtrack was brilliant, the song selection created an almost nostalgic atmosphere while driving home the Armageddon anxieties. I thought the script could have perhaps benefitted from some editing to ensure less ‘awkward’ moments in which Lucius is monologuing about how much he loves chaos and maybe have fleshed out his character or the other character dynamics more. But overall, The Devil Went Down To Parliament was a satirical romp, perfect for an evening of laughter and karmic reflection. Get yourself down there!
The Devil Went Down To Parliament runs from 12-14th March 2026 at the Drama Studio The Devil Went Down To Parliament – Performance Venues
Rating: ★ ★ ★
