Photography by Steven Townshend/Distant Era
Jen Silverman’s clever is a twisty invocation of a Jacobean tale about a small village, an outcast woman whom the citizens have labeled a witch, and the arrival into the town of the devil himself, looking for souls to sign away in exchange for their deepest desires. It is also one of those plays in which, although we know the primary motivations of each character practically from their introductions, constantly ends up surprising us. This is almost entirely due to Silverman’s knack for honest, clear, and often unexpected dialogue, which director Libby Beyreis makes certain is delivered in ways that uncover truths about these people that they might not even know themselves and yet always make us understand them better.
Beyreis, in her Director’s Note, states that she wants to see the light in the world, but it is hard to find. Both in Jacobean England and in today’s world, temptations seem to be everywhere, and it is easy to find people who have chosen to give in to them, selling their proverbial souls for riches, for fame, for power. Yet when the devil or his emissary comes knocking, she and Silverman know it is still possible to say no. And when love enters the picture, it can change everything.
Mara Kovacevic plays the “witch” of the title. Elizabeth is a quiet woman who, because she chooses to live outside the town all alone, and because she chooses not to interact with the townspeople, is an easy target for mob judgment in an era when witchcraft was a capital offense. Still, though the citizens who label her a witch have mistreated her for her entire life, she is not prone to desiring vengeance. In fact, when Scratch, a junior salesman in Hell’s hierarchy, offers to give her what she wants most in exchange for her soul, she declines the offer. He says this is a first, and as we have already seen two people in the town go through with selling their souls, it’s easy to believe him.
Scratch is played by Nathaniel Kohlmeier, whose slick used car salesman demeanor shows clearly why, at the play’s start, he is on the fast track up the ladder in his profession. We first see him solicit and win the souls of two men who both live in a local lord’s castle. The first one, Cuddy (Cameron Austin Brown), is the son of the lord and his deceased wife, a closeted gay man whose biggest goal in life is artistic. He’s an accomplished Morris Dancer, a form of rhythmic, choreographed group dancing popular among the elite of the period; Brown proves very adept at it. The other man, Frank (Xavier Lagunas), has climbed up from poverty in order to put himself in a position to steal Cuddy’s inheritance by impressing Sir Arthur (Stephen Dunn), who is openly less than happy with his son’s life choices. Both Cuddy and Frank succumb to the devil’s offers, sealing their fates in the play’s first scenes.
It is after these moments when Scratch decides to go after prey that, from the outside, looks even easier. After all, Elizabeth is hated by everyone in town; why would she not accept an offer to make her life better or get revenge on those who have made it hard? Her refusal shakes the devil’s resolve: how could any one of these greedy humans turn him down? Although he has made it clear that he will leave his prey behind if they say no, he finds that he cannot: he is so stunned by her refusal that he develops a grudging respect for her that, as they talk “off the clock,” grows into something more.
The story’s primary focus is on these two, but the rivalry between Cuddy and Frank is given a lot of focus as well, and (as happens everywhere in this play) it is not completely what it seems to be. Neither is Sir Arthur, who is a far more sympathetic character than a man who might disinherit his only son ought to be. But the character who surprises the most here is the castle’s maid, Winnifred, who is in a relationship with Frank, whom she has known since childhood. Caty Gordon’s performance is excellent from the outset, but it grows until it becomes perhaps the best one of the lot, yet another of the play’s canny surprises.
Beyreis’ direction is excellent throughout, and the intimacy direction of Erin Alys and the violence design of Victor Bayona and Richard Gilbert, both of which are essential to the plot, are also outstanding. The scenic design is good, though the short scenes are needlessly lengthened by repeated setting and striking furniture; it seemed that, even in the confined space of The Edge Off Broadway, it should have been possible to maintain two locations without all of the fuss. (There is really only one scene that needs all of the stage to work.)
As to the costume design: Victoria Jablonski’s generally solid, if not perfect, work here is severely hurt by her one big swing: a costume worn by Cuddy that is emblazoned with dozens of red, blue, and gold ribbons, an anachronistic rainbow-like vest that pulls the eye (and perplexes the mind) the whole time Cuddy wears it, especially compared with the period-appropriate clothing of the rest of the cast. (Even Scratch’s slick black suit feels right in a way that Cuddy’s gaudy vest does not.)
Silverman’s play, as Beyreis points out, is about hope when all seems pointless. It is the underlying thought behind everything we see, for selling one’s soul is the ultimate act of hopelessness. For Scratch, though, it is his encounter with Elizabeth and what develops between them—love?—that turns his world upside down: can he continue to solicit souls when he has concrete and personal proof that people can change and that hope is still possible? Idle Muse’s selection of this play at this time in history underscores our need to hope that things can and will get better.
Witch is an Idle Muse Theatre production now playing at The Edge Off Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa, Chicago, until October 10, 2026. Performance times vary; check the website. Find more information about current plays on our Current Shows page and at theatreinchicago.com.