“Witch” reviewed by Mark Reinecke

***** Witches and devils and spells, oh, my!  Jen Silverman’s darkly humorous Witch, now playing at the Edge Off-Broadway, is a linguistic snap of the locker room towel (hitting right between the eyes) and is thematically current as the morning headlines. This is a generous show packed with many pleasures, challenging ideas, great storytelling, wit and humor, and solid acting and production. Throw in just enough feminist firepower and rage under the superb direction of Libby Beyreis, and we now have a 17th century story of our times, and one that is not to be missed.

Headlining a strong cast is Mara Kovacevic, as Elizabeth Sawyer (the witch), an historic figure from Edmonton, UK executed for her independence and one who dares to think differently about the role of women in society.  In the opening monologue, Elizabeth tells us that she is not arguing for the end of the world. But “then again, maybe I am.”  From there, begins this dark and funny fairy tale.

Witch is loosely based on the 1621English play The Witch of Edmonton by William Rowley, Thomas Dekker and John Ford.  In Silverman’s version, the devil finds himself in Edmonton in the form of a handsome, seductive man using the alias, Scratch (played by Nathaniel Kohlmeier). Using eloquence, persuasive argument, and charm to exact devious intent, he is out to collect souls for Satan. When at their most vulnerable, the conniving Scratch, a middle management-level devil, offers hard-to-refuse deals to several townsfolk to make their darkest wishes come true.

First on the devil’s hit list is Cuddy (played with great comedic skill by Cameron Austin Brown), who wants to be the heir to the land and fortune of his father, Sir Arthur Banks (Stephen Dunn). Cuddy, an only child, is not upfront about his sexual orientation, yet his father fears he is incapable of producing an heir for the continuation of the family name. Cuddy sees his inheritance and livelihood being stolen from under him by the impoverished and greed-stricken Frank (played by Xavier Lagunas), a non-family member who weasels his way into the good graces of Cuddy’s father. After gaining Sir Arthur’s trust, Frank is now a top contender to be the sole heir of the family’s fortune.  Both Cuddy (whose primary passion is to be a Morris dancer, an all-male, English dance dating back to the 15th century) and Frank both are willing to do anything for the rights to Sir Arthur’s fortune.  This is the first of two cleverly-linked twin plots.

Now seems like the opportune moment for Scratch to nab a couple of easy souls in exchange for revenge (Cuddy) or greed fulfillment (Frank). Moving over to the second plot, Scratch calls on Elizabeth, the brainy, independent woman who is a reviled outsider in the community and who is blamed for anything that goes wrong among its inhabitants. Having been scapegoated by the community and labeled a witch, Scratch believes Elizabeth has every reason to sign up for some cathartic retribution through the sale of her soul. But she remains a holdout.  And an unexpected attraction between the devil and Elizabeth poses a threat to the cunning plans.  Elizabeth’s character is clearly a thoughtful, intelligent woman. Yet her rage over the vast abuse to which she was subjected and her lack of freedom to think her own thoughts and to operate independently of men is surprisingly muted.  And we really don’t feel Elizabeth’s manipulation of and a push-and-pull with the devil.  And while the devil has the charm offensive mastered, I wanted to see a little more fury and coldness in his role as well. Nevertheless, this compelling play and production will thwart expectations throughout.  And unless you are familiar with the original work, you will have no idea where this is all leading.

The devil is the primary link between the dueling plots. Sir Arthur’s maid, Winnifred (Caty Gordon), is the link connecting Elizabeth’s isolation to her own difficult predicaments. She is secretly married to Frank. Up at the castle, under the exquisite portrait of Sir Arthur’s late wife and Cuddy’s mother (Breezy Snyder, scenic painter), Winnifred flits about to tend to Sir Arthur’s, Cuddy’s and Frank’s every need with her muted outrage. She hears continually Sir Arthur encouraging Frank to meet the prominent daughters of friends for future heirs to the estate. Frank in a devastating move denounces Winnifred to secure his financial future.  She initially remains a figure behind the scenes, until she starts making noise and cuts right through the fog of male control and deception. Late in the play, she delivers her climactic bitter assessment – a validation of and counterpoint to Elizabeth’s opening monologue. Gordon plays this scene with a fine mix of pain and strength and contradiction.

Finally, there is a powerful alignment of simple, effective scenic design (Jeremiah Barr), lovely period costumes (Victoria Jablonski), sound (L.J.Luthringer) and lighting (Laura J. Wiley).  It all looked and felt authentic as we, the audience, is placed in a dissonant world inside the theater.  I was especially taken by the tour de force fight scene (R & D Choreography; Victor Bayona and Richard Gilbert) between Frank and Cuddy.  Perhaps it was my close proximity to the action, but I have never seen anything so realistic, disturbing and exquisitely executed. I’d like to forget it, although I don’t think I can.

The surprises and provocations continue coming.  In the final scene, we realize “the devil made me do it” doesn’t hold up. And humans have only themselves to blame.  Witch wants us to ponder whether we should make peace with the world we are in, and if not, what would it take to change such a world. This is a rare work intelligently addressing many timely topics: relations between fathers and sons; relations between husbands and wives and men and women; the notion of masculinity; and the plight of women (which doesn’t seem to have moved far enough).  Are we willing to burn it down and start over? Or live with the constraint-dense old order Elizabeth resists?  The viewer decides.

Silverman packs a huge load into this two-hour production (including intermission) and conjures a recognizable despair over our current state of affairs.  Again, to underscore… this is a very funny, intellectually challenging show with a modern-feeling experience. In the world gone mad that is 2026, this pitch-black tale from yesteryear is not to be missed.

Idle Muse Theatre Company Presents:

Witch

By Jen Silverman

Directed by Libby Beyreis

Performed at: The Edge Off-Broadway Theater

1133 W. Catalpa Avenue, Chicago

Performance Schedule:

Now playing through October 10

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm

Sundays at 3 pm

With an added performance on Wednesday, October 7 at 8 pm

Tickets:

General admission tickets: $20 and $30, with $50 “pay it forward” tickets that assist in subsidizing tickets for those who may not be able to access the production otherwise.

Student, senior and group discounts are also available.

www.IdleMuse.org

Idle Muse Theatre Company Box Office: 773/340-9438

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click on “Witches”.