The “Witch” play, based in the year 1621, started off with Elizabeth Sawyer in a dramatic scene of her standing in the darkness with the lights beaming on her. She complained about people in her village of Edmont calling her a witch and all she wants is to be treated normal. Eventually, Elizabeth and the other characters are approached by the devil to sell their soul for any desires.
Cuddy Banks, the son of Sir Arthur Banks, hated, yet loved Frank Thorney. Frank was treated as the son Sir Arthur never had that did activities that he enjoyed. Cuddy however wasn’t interested in outdoor activities and enjoyed being a part of Morris dancing group which he considered a career. Morris dancing is an English folk dance that involves wearing bell pads on the shins during. Sir Arthur only thought of his love for Morris dancing as a hobby. So, Cuddy made a deal with the devil for Frank to be murdered since he would be the next heir to the throne. Meanwhile, Frank also made a deal with the devil to advance his wealth and become head of the throne. In order for Frank to take the throne, he would have to marry a princess from another kingdom. That is a big issue because I didn’t know how it would be possible for both characters to get what they want since it contradicts with each other. Frank was not only going to be murdered, but also having a baby with his wife Winnifred.
This stirs up drama because we have come to know that Frank does not care about his wife and would leave her to gain power. This makes Winnifred very upset because he refuses to acknowledge that they are married. I’m not sure if it’s only because he wants to take the throne or if it’s because he has feelings for Cuddy.
I’m not sure if Frank actually has feelings for Cuddy but I don’t think it’s genuine. I think it’s a trick to gain access to the throne since he did admit that nothing would get in his way. Though it was like a rollercoaster of love and hate, it was also comedic. I thought it was funny that Cuddy was talking to the devil about his passion for being a part of Morris dancing. Sir Arthur felt like he was useless because of this as an heir since he has other priorities.
Towards the end, the devil admits he never had them sign a contract for their deals and he hasn’t set them up because of his distraction from Elizabeth. Even though the contract wasn’t official, Frank ends up being murdered by Cuddy. After Frank was dead, Cuddy started Morris dancing, which was random and funny. Overall, I liked the play but the ending wasn’t enough for me. I was hoping to see how life would be for the characters after all the chaos happened but instead we were left with imagination.
Edited by Jeremy Ford and Jayme Thompson
