REVIEW: THE NOTION OF RECOMPENSE at Old Red Lion Playhouse 13 – 15 October 2026
“I wonder what Elin did that was so bad? She was turned back, the witch bloody died, that should have been the end of it.” ★★★ ½
Elin has been turned into an owl. In a typical fairy tale, the lifting of that curse would be the happy ever after – but this isn’t a typical tale, and the end of the curse is just the beginning.
THE NOTION OF RECOMPENSE skilfully weaves a highly original concept, strong performances and clever use of space and sound to create an intriguing show which blends atmospheric folk horror with thought-provoking exploration of the expectations on women to conform and the dreadful consequences when they don’t.
The show builds its world very well. It’s not clear if the setting reflects a real place or not - the Northern English accents used by the majority of the cast would have been the main accent of Salem at the time of that towns shocking events in the 1600s. But it doesn’t really matter; we’re drawn into the story’s own world, and the accents do a great job of letting us know who is in the family and who is not. The story is imaginative and it’s interesting to see a tale of witch hunts where the witch in the woods is real.
The choreography and physical theatre is superb, especially from Emma Kirrage as her body and voice get used to being human again after years as a bird. Occasionally it tries to do too much. The acting is uniformly good, but it’s possible that the characters of Magda and Stranger, well drawn as they are, don’t need to be on stage for the story to move forwards. A scene in which the cast sings is spine-chillingly powerful, but it's not entirely clear how it links into the rest.
In one particularly visceral and superbly choreographed moment, a character is bludgeoned to death with an axe. A problem is that sometimes the audience is being bludgeoned over the head too, with all the ways that women, historically, have been targets of injustice. In the final stretch of the play, tragedy is heaped upon tragedy. The most sympathetic character, in her childlike innocence, is of course accused of witchcraft. Sexual violence. Toxic patriarchal families. A daughter born out of wedlock smothered. These were real injustices, and the shadow of them is far too long over 21st century life. The problem with being hit by it all in such a short time is that elements of the show become predictable into cliché, and the impact of the cruelties shown is blunted by them being bunched so close together. But the fundamental architecture of the play is sound, the talent behind it unmistakable, and you won’t forget this one soon.
CREATIVE TEAM
Directors: Eleanor Dunlop and Kat Munroe
Writer: Sarah Pearcey
MD, Composer, Sound Designer and Intimacy Director: Amy King
Lighting Designer: Mimi Browne
Fight Director: Luke Vinecombe
CAST
Elin: Emma Kirrage
Magde: Dorothea Jones
Gertie: Sapphire Stutchbury
Father: Timothy Nixon
Thomas: Kieran Hatchett
Thaddea: Lauren Ramsden
Lark: Niamh Euers
Sorrel: Rachel Thomas
Stranger: Alex Guersman
Tickets at:
https://weareoldred.co.uk/whats-on/grimfest/the-notion-of-recompense
Reviewer Naomi Elster is an award-winning Irish author and playwright living in London. Her plays have been staged in London, Dublin and New York, and her fiction and nonfiction have been published worldwide, including in Crannóg, Meniscus, The Guardian and BBC. Her pieces have retold history from women’s point of view, shone a light on Invisible disability and explored contemporary themes such as online dating and the relationship between loneliness and misogyny. Insta @naomielster
