A co-production between the National Theatre and the Theatre Royal, Plymouth, this hacked about version of Christopher Marlowe's great play about a man who sells his soul to the devil is truly diabolical.
Regrettably that is not a compliment. Intended for eight years and above, it had this well-matured theatre critic as confused as the children.
There is something cheering about the idea of exposing children to Marlowe's enduring story and voluptuous language in the Junior years of primary school, hopefully before our English educational system has succeeded in putting them off Shakespeare and his contemporaries for life.
Unfortunately there is very little that is voluptuous about the speaking of the language here and the adaptation, which includes a new sub-plot in which a puppet actor sells his soul for one of the devil's sizzling sausages, is laboured and patronising.
From personal experience I know that with careful preparation, even very young children can be engaged and thrilled by very good productions of classic plays and they are totally unfazed by poetry and archaic language when it is spoken brilliantly.
It isn't here, and even the narration adds to the confusion rather than helping the play along. It says quite a lot that everyone - myself included - only cheered up, stopped eating crisps and falling off our chairs when the puppet was on stage.
The Theatre Royal in Plymouth has a good reputation for producing work for children-including the wonderful adaptation of When the Whales Came that was in the West End over Christmas.
The National should know much, much better. Nicolas Hytner may be producing wonderful work on the National stages, but in sending out this dull, third-rate stuff he is failing the potential theatre-goers of tomorrow.
· Until Tues 17. Box office: 020 8692 4446. Then at the National Theatre Thurs 19 until Wed 25
