By SHARON EBERSON
The spellbinding production of Witch now at Carnegie Stage has inspired the punster in me, and in that spirit, the word that comes to mind most is “soul-searching.”
In practical terms, when the devil is bewitched, all hell is bound to break loose.
Let’s get this out of the way right now. Any work of art featuring pacts with the devil and doomsday references will always have real-world implications, whether, as in the case of Witch, its origins are the first half of the 17th century, when the King James Bible was printed and Shakespeare was writing timeless tragedies, or it’s a play based in that era, with 21st-century sensibilities.
That such an early work wound its way into the fertile mind of playwright Jen Silverman, whose flair for dark, consequential comedy is currently on display in Broadway’s The Roommate, is a match that reaps dividends for the band of artists producing the play in Pittsburgh.
On opening night Friday, the mood was set upon walking into the theater to the tune of Girls Just Want to Have Fun, rendered on the accordion by a player in a period costume.
The music gives way to the matter-of-fact arrival of “the devil,” Max Pavel as the charming Scratch, who soon will be vexed by the unexpected resistance of a singular soul, a “witch,” among the denizens of a small English village.
Silverman’s insightful piece delves into the power of one woman’s “No,” when the devil comes to call. Witch also illuminates the class struggles among the haves and wannabes, creating an explosive crossroads, where entitlement and dysfunction meet insatiable ambition,
Such is the roiling conflict in the castle of wealthy widow Sir Arthur Banks, played by the delightfully oblivious Brett Kennedy. His son, Cuddy (Matt Henderson), is a disappointment insomuch as he is not heir material, in his father’s eyes. Cuddy is obsessed with Morris Dancing – described in the program as a high-stepping English folk dance in which performers often wear bells on their shins and shoes. Cuddy also is both infatuated and disdainful of the practically perfect peasant Frank Thorney (Ryan Patrick Kearney), who has been taken in by Sir Arthur and become a more likely heir than his “soft” son.
Henderson wears his emotions unabashedly as Cuddy, stewing over being usurped, longing for affection, or prancing in his beloved dance of choice. Kearney’s Frank, in contrast, preens and schemes to win Sir Arthur’s affections. And it’s working.
Cuddy learns a secret that Frank is hiding, which makes for an inevitable showdown – a situation ripe for a fast-talking devil, who is eager to sew up their souls.
On the other side of town, however, in a woodland cabin, there’s a soul that’s not so easy pickings.
Elizabeth Sawyer (Shammen McCune) is the town “witch,” or so say all her neighbors. We might conjure meaning in the jars that line her shelves, or perhaps it is her quiet resolve that they find so unsetting.
For McCune, Witch marks another strong performance in a string of them, in which she exudes strength and vulnerability in equal measure.
Her isolation as Sawyer is interrupted by the devil, who offers her anything – as he has done many times before – for her soul. However, he has nothing she desires or needs. Her defiant, “No,” vexes him. It intrigues him, fascinates him.
He is determined to break her, yet it is the so-called witch who becomes the devil’s distraction, keeping him from his “industry” of securing souls.
Pavel’s Scratch begins to trade his easygoing charm for uncertainty, matching McCune for welcome understatement and, it must be said, soul-searching.
Not so at the castle, where mealtime has become a battlefield of increasingly louder outbursts, along with the clattering of dropped platters by Winnifred (Lorna Lominac), a feisty housemaid who is the fourth party with a big stake in the Banks’ fortune.
The relationships within those walls would seem to be influenced by the devil’s bargains, as they reach a fever pitch. Or are they merely the result of flawed humans, marching headlong to their destinies?
Jennifer Bechak’s set design spreads the stage from the castle’s well-appointed and colorful dining area, showcasing a distinctive portrait of the late Mrs. Banks, to the grayish woodsy charm of Elizabeth Sawyer’s humble abode. A few prop tricks, along with lighting by Julie Adams and sound by Janus Young, bolster the action and, in particular, give the devil his due.
Directed by Ingrid Sonnichsen, with an assist from co-producer Ken Bolden, the production by a group of Pittsburgh theatermakers reassembles most of the 2018 team behind Orphans. Their shared passion is revealed in an engrossing tale, often funny, sometimes poignant, and always questioning the resilience of the human spirit when all hope seems lost, and in the face of devilish temptation.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
The independent production of Witch produced by a group of Pittsburgh artists, and hosted by Carnegie Stage, 25 W. Main Street, Carnegie, runs through March 22, 2025. Tickets: Visit https://www.carnegiestage.com/
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