Peppermint Creek’s ‘Witch’ hits home at the right time

Peppermint Creek Theatre Co. has the supernatural power of programming its plays to hit when current events match the themes of the work. It’s downright spooky how relevant its shows are, and its production of “Witch” is no exception. 

The play opens in a tavern in Edmonton, a remote, semi-rural medieval village where the charismatic Scratch (Lewis C. Elson) is buying souls. His first client is Cuddy (Hannah Zwolensky), the only son of the town’s lord, who is more interested in folk dancing than following in his father’s footsteps. Sir Arthur (Jeff Magnuson) has taken in Frank (Ndegwa McCloud), a robust young man whom he admires more than his son. 

Cuddy is threatened by Frank’s ambition and sells his soul to have Frank killed. Scratch then makes a deal with Frank, who wants to be named Sir Arthur’s heir. The conflicting deals create great tension throughout the play. Meanwhile, we learn that Sir Arthur’s servant girl Winnifred (Storm Hawthorn) is secretly married to Frank, which puts his ambitions at risk.

Scratch hears about a town witch and seeks her out to forge another deal. Elizabeth (Abby Perry) is not a witch, but she is a single, independent woman and is therefore suspect for anything that goes wrong with farm animals, crops and people. Scratch meets his match in this strong-willed woman, and they soon become unlikely friends. 

Back at the manor, tensions rise between Cuddy and Frank, revealing the true love-hate nature of their relationship. A major theme about toxic masculinity emerges, and the rivalry reaches a shocking climax.

Sir Arthur is also a victim of toxic masculinity. Magnuson nails the role of the shallow ruler, a clueless man who can’t imagine dismantling the social structure that he himself inherited, even to save his relationship with Cuddy. When left alone to converse with his dead wife, he becomes a lost manchild whose strength came from her.

Scratch delivers a powerful speech about gender inequality, and his acknowledgement that there is inherent value in being male further reinforces the theme. As Scratch grows closer to Elizabeth, he becomes emotionally invested in her fate, and his final soliloquy moves us to have sympathy for this devil.

Playwright Jen Silverman structured the script in an interesting way. The scenes primarily flip back and forth from Sir Arthur’s bustling manor to Elizabeth’s isolated cottage. Elizabeth remains isolated from the other characters until Winnifred seeks out Scratch at her cottage. It is this vital, heart-wrenching, woman-to-woman conversation that gives Elizabeth clarity on the one thing she is willing to sell her soul for.

Peppermint Creek’s theme for this season is “what we want/what it costs,” and “Witch” fits that theme well. Every character wants something: Sir Arthur wants an heir, Frank wants material success, Cuddy wants his father’s love, Winnifred wants Frank’s love, and Scratch wants their souls. As for Elizabeth? It’s her journey toward realizing what she wants, what she is willing to sell her soul for, that’s at the heart of the play. 

Another timely theme is that greed destroys. As Scratch says, “Once you have everything, you just want more,” something we see playing out in the real world among the billionaire oligarch class and our federal administration. In the microcosm of “Witch,” Elizabeth alone recognizes that the cycles of greed and toxic masculinity have broken their world, and she alone can change the world, perhaps suggesting an additional theme about the responsibility of the individual in making their world a better place for all. 

Director Sally Hecksel selected an entertaining and important play that hits home at the right time. As the nation faces the opportunity to build a better world, “Witch” reminds us that change comes at a cost, which may include personal sacrifice.