Review ~ Kissing the Witch ~ Adelaide University Theatre Guild

[Theatre - SA] Little Theatre, Adelaide University Fri 11 Aug The capacity crowd at the Little Theatre took their seats with the whole cast already assembled on stage milling around out of character chatting with each other and members of the audience. It created quite a buzz of welcoming anticipation. Irish author Emma Donahue’s play cleverly links a number of well known fairy tales (such as Beauty and the Beast, Donkeyskin, ad Little Mermaid) into one entertaining, continuous narrative that is a delightful expose of the art of storytelling. Each fairytale presents a different spin on the way they are normally told and principally revolve around the roles that women have traditionally played in these stories, and more specifically that of the witch. Buried within the narratives are discussions around big questions – is it ok to live alone? Do you need love to stay alive? Do women really need men? Are all men cads? Does self-realisation lie within? These questions are raised as part of legitimate enquiry into the nature of existence with intelligent, sometimes poetic, dialogue without being at all didactic. Susan Cilento was in complete command of her various roles and added an air of assurance to every scene. Players in other roles did not always exude quite that same level of conviction, but Ellie-May Enright’s passionate retelling of how she came to live the life of a lone beast in a cave was a powerful moment. The role of the witch was variously played by each of the three female cast members, and Helen Morriss’ live violin accompaniments added mood and mystery to several scenes. Kissing a witch is apparently not recommended practice but in this case it seems it’s the witch who is unsettled by being kissed! Kissing the Witch’s overarching goal is to redefine the hapless role that women have tended to play in traditional fairytales, and provide alternative messaging that encourages women to acknowledge and appreciate the positive power of independence; to create their own stories rather than just have stories happen to them. And in this it is undoubtedly successful. Presented by the University of Adelaide Theatre Guild Directed by Imogen Deller-Evans 3.5 stars Michael Coghlan Kissing the Witch continues at the Little Theatre at various times until Sun 20 Aug. Click HERE to purchase your tickets.