“Witch”

Highly Recommended **** As we approach Halloween, several theaters are doing works that could be easily mistaken as symbols of this “holiday” that many feel is one that should be lost in the shuffle. Writers Theater is hosting the World Premiere of Jen Silverman’s “Witch” ( inspired by “The Witch of Edmonton” by Rowley,Decker and Ford). While the title would have you think this may be a story about witchcraft, in reality it is more about what people are willing to give up in order to have something done for them. Yes, there is a witch, Elizabeth Sawyer ( played to perfection by Audrey Francis, who is able to appear never to blink). It seems that the entire town of Edmonton fears her as she is a witch. She casts no spells and does no evil yet they hate and fear her, causing her to live alone, friendless and loveless!

The entire village is made up of characters who all come into play during this 100 minutes of comedy and drama, smoothly directed by  Marti Lyons. Sir Arthur is the leader of the Village, respected and adored by all. David Alan Anderson brings this powerful man to life. He is a widower and has a son, Cuddy ( well -played by Steve Haggard) who is not all that Arthur had hoped for in an heir. There is another young man in the picture. Frank Thorney ( an incredible performance by Jon Hudson Odom) who comes from a poor family, but has shown Arthur that he could be a perfect heir and legacy. Of course, there is great conflict between these two young men, despite Cuddy caring a great deal for this man who is out to take his birthright.

That is where the real story comes into play. It is the Devil, Scratch ( deftly handled by  Ryan Hallahan, a powerful performer) who is seeking souls from these people in return for making their lives closer to perfection. The point of the play seems to be whether anyone truly knows just what they might give up their souls for- just to get something of which they feel they feel they are deprived . There are many hidden secrets to the stories contained in this play. There is another role we need to look at. That of Winnifred ( adorably played by Arti Ishak), Sir Arthur’s servant, who Cuddy would like to have and as we learn in one of the early scenes is already married…to Frank.

Each of the characters meets with Scratch seeking something special, and we learn just how far they will go. His struggle with  Elizabeth is the greatest as he finds himself attracted to her and caught in her spell. FYI- they treat the scenes between the Devil and the Witch as sales calls, with hopes and desires and meeting quotas and closing the deal. Anyone who has been in sales, will love the way this is written and performed. Might be a great idea for a sales company to have an outing in Glencoe at Writers to use this play as a learning experience. Mr. Hallahan and Ms Francis have just the right chemistry to make it work.

The choreography ( Katie Spelman) is unusual and effective and the fight direction ( Matt Hawkins) amazing. Cuddy and Frank have a fight scene that you will not forget. The set ( Yu Shibagaki) in this smaller, more intimate space at Writers is clever and allows for the swift movement from scene to scene. The other technical aspects are near perfect. Lighting (Paul Toben), sound and composition (Mikhail Fiksel), Costumes (Mieka van der Ploeg) and the props ( Scott Dickens). 100 minutes of great theater that will keep you into the story from the announcements until the end. You might be a bit surprised over the ending, but if you stay for the talk-backs, it will all make sense.

“Witch” will continue at Writers Theater located at 325 Tudor Court ( in the Gillian ) in Glencoe thru December 16th with performances as follows:

Tuesdays  7:30 p.m.

Wednesdays  7:30 p.m./ some select 3 p.m. matinees

Thursdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays  7:30 p.m.

Saturdays  3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Sundays  2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Tickets range from $35- $80 and are available by calling 847-242-6000 or at http://www.writerstheatre.org

There is plenty of parking  in the area, and if you take the Metra ( the station is a short walk to the theater) snap a photo of yourself on the train, and post it to facebook, twitter or instagram, and show the post at the box office, you will get a $5 bill towards the cost of the fare. www.writerstheatre.org/metra

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