The Faust legend—made famous in separate plays by Christopher Marlowe and Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe—is given a new spin by Mamet, who offers his take on the age-old story of “the danger of pure reason without decent occupation,” according to a release. Mamet's tale looks at how a rivalry between a philosopher and a magician causes the title character to neglect his own family, even as his wife prepares for their sickly son’s birthday. Mamet, scribe of Glengarry Glen Ross and Speed the-Plow, has previously directed his own Oleanna, Cryptogram and Boston Marriage as well as the films "State and Main," "The Spanish Prisoner" and "Heist." Mamet's other works include American Buffalo, The Old Neighborhood and Sexual Perversity in Chicago.

Dr. Faustus is part of the Magic Theatre's 2003-2004 season which also includes the world premieres of Julie Marie Myatt's The Sex Habits of American Women, (through Nov. 2) and Edna O'Brien's Triptych (Dec. 2-Jan. 4, 2004).

Tickets to Dr. Faustus at the Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center (Building D) in San Francisco, CA will be available Dec. 1 by calling (415) 441-8822. For more information, visit the Magic Theatre website at www.magictheatre.org.