The Gryphon Theatre has been showing the play “Witch”, written by Jen Silverman and directed by Kim Lockhart in association with Relative Theatrics. The play follows the story of the devil and accused witch Elizabeth, recreating a classic Jacobian era play and debating the worth of a soul.
“Witch” has been praised by several other news outlets, with the Hollywood Reporter writing, “Witch is thematically as current as the morning headlines.”
The play is a loose adaptation of the story “The Witch of Edmonton” written by William Rowley, Thomas Dekker, and John Ford in 1621. The original play was inspired by the real-life story of Elizabeth Sawyer, a woman who was executed for witchcraft in 1621. Rowley, Dekker, and Ford drew most of their inspiration from a pamphlet by Henry Goodcole titled “The Wonderful Discovery of Elizabeth Sawyer, Witch”, which attempted to vilify Sawyer while she was questioned in prison.
“Witch” describes itself as “an inventive retelling” of the Jacobian drama, attempting to subvert expectations.
The Chicago Tribune wrote, “If you’ve seen the bumper sticker ‘well-behaved women don’t make history,’ you’ll have a sense of what Silverman is shrewdly and passionately exploring here: If your unsold soul is so disrespected by your community, then why not give some handsome devil a try? It cannot, arguably, be worse.”
Additionally, LA Daily News wrote, “Witch is utterly spellbinding… Superb… Intelligent.”
The Gryphon Theatre will put on the play several more times throughout this Halloween season, including Oct. 30 and 31, and Nov. 1 and 2. Each show will start at 7:30pm, with ticket prices ranging from $18 to $43. The theatre warns that this show contains strong language, violence, and a strobing light sequence.
