CALL ME FURY review/The Hope Theatre/Until 5th October 2019
Sian Rowland • Sep 20, 2019
‘Spellbinding’ ★★★★★
There’s nothing quite as terrifying and mysterious as the power of a woman and over the ages, many have sought to label that power- of healing, intelligence or rebelliousness - as witchcraft.
Out of the Forest return with their follow up to Offie award-winning production Bury The Hatchet and it’s a vibrant, energetic romp through the history of witchcraft starting with the Salem witchcraft trials and bringing us bang up to date with modern incarnation in 21st century London.
The show fuses music, direct address and dramatic scenes to explore the women and girls behind the stories, to pick apart Miller’s Crucible and explore the role of religious fear in driving mostly innocent women to the flames, nooses and blocks.
Out of the Forest artistic director and writer Sasha Wilson also leads the talented cast of four talented actor-musicians, Mairi Hawthorn, Gracie Lai and Olivia Kennett, as they switch roles and instruments and tell unheard or forgotten stories from history.
While the play uses the Salem witch trails as its centrepiece, stories come from around the world with stories from China, Scotland, France and Bavaria among others. The music is impeccably curated with a folk/ country theme: everything from the Eagles’ Witchy Woman to Johnny Cash’s Twenty Minutes; bluegrass folk tunes and a beautifully haunting Gaelic song sung acapella.
With an initial run at The Vaults and a revamp in between, this feels like a well-polished show with Hannah Hauer-King’s confident direction adding an extra touch of shine. A simple autumn-themed set from David Spence with light-up cross and subtle but expressive lighting from Holly Ellis add to the atmosphere while the costumes from Helen Stewart which channel Jamestown meets Sons of Anarchy work well.
There’s a great sense of energy, urgency and spellbinding relevance to Call Me Fury and it deserves a long life. Up the witches!
CALL ME FURY by Sasha Wilson (further devised by the company)
Directed by Hannah Hauer-King
Presented by Out of The Forest Theatre
The Hope Theatre
Until 5th October 2019
Siân Rowland is a playwright, reviewer and script reader.
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