It’s a common theme to question the class system and our own roles in it. If you decide, as I did recently, to see Witch, currently playing at Theatre Inconnu, you’ll see a whimsical carousel ride of a story with all those questions (and not necessarily the answers) weaved into it.
Written by playwright Jen Silverman, Witch is inspired by 17th-century play The Witch of Edmonton and puts forth the questions: if you had the opportunity to get anything you want, would you sell your soul to the devil to achieve that desire? Would you risk causing hurt to yourself and your loved ones to fill that want or need? One would hope the immediate answer would be “no,” but Silverman’s piece has an effective way of questioning that.
The play revolves around six characters, each one with unsatisfied needs, each one frustrated with their lives and situations. One of the characters, Scratch (played by Gloria Snider), is the Devil’s apprentice, and makes her way from person to person with ideas and offers of how to improve their lives. Scratch is obviously in a hurry to get to everyone; she has a quota to make to the big one downstairs, and they must surrender their souls in return. The town outcast, Elizabeth (played by Deirdre Tipping), has been labelled a witch simply for being different, and Elizabeth ends up being the one who makes Scratch question her own situation. The whole drama is humorous, and sometimes painful, as we witness people struggle with the lives they were given and with what they’ve had to endure.
Witch is a lively play to watch, full of wit and creativity. Although it seems to take place in the 1600s, the dialogue has a modern edge to it, with humour and personal crises that feel current. If you like to laugh while doing some critical thinking, seeing Witch is a great choice for an evening out.
Witch
Various times, until Saturday, May 20
Various prices, Theatre Inconnu
theatreinconnu.com