Marriage, Murder, and a Big Black Dog
As is explained at the end of John Ford, William Rowley, and Thomas Dekker's collaborative work, "The Witch of Edmonton," the Devil can take on any form he chooses, and in this twisted and bizarre tale of revenge he just so happens to choose a knobby kneed, shaggy black dog. The blend of comedy and drama in the Red Bull Theater's production at St. Clement's Theater is sure to entertain.
Inspired by true events, "The Witch of Edmonton" presents two loosely connected storylines concerning the simple people of a small town, a few miles outside of London. The first is the story of Elizabeth Sawyer, a poor woman, abused and accused of witchcraft by the other town members, played brilliantly by Charlayne Woodard. Swearing and cursing her neighbors, Sawyer enters into a pact of revenge with the devil, who appears to her in the form of Tom, a large, black, and sometimes lovable dog, played by Derek Smith, who should be used to playing an animal after a run as Scar in Broadway's "The Lion King." Tom also latches on to Cuddy Banks (Adam Green), a sort of town fool, who desires the love of a noblewoman named Katherine. Katherine (Amanda Quaid) is the link to the second plot, in which her sister, Susan (Christina Pumariega), becomes the second wife of the bigamous serving man, Frank Thorney, who is already joined in matrimony with the pregnant maid servant (Miriam Silverman) who serves under, and has slept with, the same master (Christoper Innvar) as Frank.
Convoluted enough for you yet? The plots, though complicated, are not all that difficult to follow in Red Bull's production. Under the direction of Jesse Berger, complicated and superfluous scenes of folk dancing, that would have been disorienting to modern audiences, were cut. In addition, he chose to elaborately stage the deaths of two characters, which usually occur offstage. The stage itself was simple, consisting of wooden walkways and towers where the noblemen interact, surrounding a large dirt path, which exemplified the poor outskirts where Elizabeth Sawyer lives. Perfect in its simplicity, while true to the period, the set streamlined the traffic of an already very involved play. The plot alone may very well be too complex to find enjoyable, especially considering the heightened language that the script employs, but the aesthetic choices of Jesse Berger and the riveting performances of the actors hold the audience's attention through every twist and complication of the play.
Smith easily steals the show in his portrayal of the satanic pup. Much more devil than dog, he slinks around the stage with a gait and a growl and exudes wickedness, yet the endearing nature of man's best friend still comes through in such a way that the audience almost can not blame Sawyer for succumbing to his charm. Woodard delivers an equally convincing performance, playing Sawyer as a furious and insane woman, who may or may not have acted in precisely the same manner regardless of whether she had been visited by the devil.
Olivia George is a contributing writer. E-mail her at theater@nyunews.com.
