A FARCE TO BE RECKONED WITH

The third collaborative fantasy (If at Faust You Don't Succeed, 1993, etc.) to feature the cunning demon Azzie Elbub and his attempts to tip the balance away from Good and towards Bad. This time, Azzie's idea is to use the legend of the Seven Golden Candlesticks—said legend hurriedly concocted by Venetian poet Pietro Aretino—to produce a grand drama demonstrating that virtue is not a necessary ingredient of success—an immortality play. As Azzie tempts a band of pilgrims, the opposition—Archangel Michael and his gofer, Babriel—get wind of Azzie's ambitions. The powerful goddess Anankhe also takes an unwelcome interest. Venice, meanwhile, flooded, besieged by Mongols, and beset by plague, threatens to be cast adrift in a reality of its own. Witty, sometimes, but, alas, not funny—a disappointing affair that gives the impression of muddled and rather desperate improvisation.