A Tryal of Witches
Photo by: Tom Soper Photography
Review by Andrew Clarke
One of the things that regional theatre does really well is uncovering startling true stories from local communities, and then giving them new life, new potency, by putting them on stage in a form which modern audiences can appreciate.
This is exactly what Suffolk playwright, Tallulah Brown, has done with her new play, A Tryal of Witches, which combines the events of two witch trials held in Bury St Edmunds during the first half of the 17th century.
As a result of three years of research and multiple drafts, she has come up with a play which has lifted the facts from the dry pages of a history text book, and from the fringes of folklore, and crafted an extraordinary tale which reminds us that our past can also be our future; irrational fears can lead to all sorts of superstitious nonsense, which can put people’s lives in danger or promote the sort of self-centred tribalism that can rip society apart.
But the biggest triumph this homegrown Theatre Royal production has achieved is a wonderful sense of community between the women in this village on outskirts of town. Music, composed by Seraphina D’Arby, plays a big part in this production, with the townswomen singing just offstage like a Greek chorus, providing a communal narrative, a glimpse into their inner-most thoughts and a commentary on the events unfolding before them - events which they are unable to stop.
Director Owen Calvert-Lyons, writer Tallullah Brown, production designer Jessica Curtis and lighting designer Sally Ferguson have created a world which allows these characters to breathe and become real. They have turned names that only exist in court records or on gravestones into relatable people - people who could easily be us, our friends or family.
The play highlights the fact that when people are frightened, pressurised or bullied, common sense flies straight out of the window and suddenly self-preservation becomes all anyone can think of.
When Matthew Hopkins, the Witchfinder General, comes to Bury St Edmunds - as he did in 1645 - he was looking for witches. His Puritan zealotry would not accept alternative explanations, even from the clergy. Being eccentric or lonely was not a defence. In his eyes women were weak, and therefore the devil’s playthings who went around corrupting men.
The play also highlights the fact that the Puritans believed in what was called ‘spectral evidence’ - where a suspected witch could be in two places at once – so any alibis involving witnesses placing the so-called witch some distance away from the crime could be disallowed. The Bury St Edmunds witch trial of 1662 was the first time this spurious belief was allowed in a court of law.
During his investigations, Hopkins explains that midwives and herbalists were evil if they relieved the pains of childbirth because they were interfering with the wishes of God. The pain of childbirth, he explains to his companion, was God’s eternal punishment to women for the sins of Eve in the Garden of Eden.
When you have conspiracy theorists denying the reality of Covid-19 and opposing vaccinations, you are acutely aware that the puritan abhorrence of science, herbs and medicines hasn’t really gone away for many people.
The contemporary parallels lying just beneath the surface of Tallulah’s text elevate A Tryal of Witches into more than just a lovely, local history play. It has something to say about the modern world, women’s role in it and the prejudice still to be fought.
Photo by: Tom Soper Photography
Although, there is a lot to think about arising from the drama of the situation, there is also plenty of humour scattered through the performance which serves to humanise the characters and make them into people rather than ciphers.
The cast of six female actors embrace the challenge of playing two or three roles each, establishing strong identities for both men and women - so much so that you quickly forget that you just seen them as someone else three minutes ago.
Rachel Heaton, Emily Hindle, Claire Storey, Lucy Tuck and Shaniya Hira (making her professional debut), are all impressive along with two young actors, Georgina and Jerry, sharing the role of young Elizabeth.
The set, costumes, lighting, music and performance all combine to give a very good sense of time and space, allowing the audience to get lost in the events on stage.
Sadly, the only aspect of the production which marred the evening was the feeling that it went on too long. The play had what amounted to three endings, when one - the first - would have been ideal and suitably dramatic, leaving the audience with the image of five condemned ‘witches’ holding hands and dancing wildly in a circle, just like the old woodcut images to be found in the god-fearing publications of the time.
Nevertheless, it was a wonderful production.
A terrific piece of new writing with strong Suffolk connections, and it shows that local theatre is alive and well in these challenging times.
Hopefully, the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds will be able to to continue to commission new work such as this.
A Tryal of Witches is at Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds until March 22.
FOR FULL SHOW DETAILS AND BOOKING LINK, CLICK HERE