Nicholas Eddie and Tantoo Cardinal in Witch | Photo by Dahlia Katz
Loosely honouring the real life figure of Elizabeth Sawyer, who was hung in 1600s Edmonton as a witch, and an adaptation of The Witch of Edmonton, a 17th century play which held a surprisingly sympathetic (for the time) attitude towards her—Jen Silverman’s Witch is both a very silly period piece and acutely aware of our current world as untenable and, well, in many ways, a veritable dumpster fire. The language is also distinctly contemporary. Presented by Soulpepper, Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster’s production is an aesthetic and tonal balancing act that mostly succeeds at keeping us invested, is rather thought-provoking and, sometimes, even spiritually transcendent.
The most deeply compelling relationship here is between the social outcast Sawyer (Tantoo Cardinal) and Scratch (Nicholas Eddie), who is, essentially, the devil. He’s in town to grant some self-serving, vindictive wishes in exchange for souls. While most locals are desperate enough to fall for his smarmy advances, his cocky assurance snags on Sawyer’s unflappable independence and resolve. Already alienated from the community, she luxuriates in the freedom of being aloof and pragmatic. She’ll hear him out, though. And Scratch is determined to win her over.
It’s fun to see his confidence recede as obsession takes over. Their conversational dynamic is, at first, a playful series of negotiations, but gradually becomes more intimate, philosophical and even flirtatious. With a steady, carefully controlled breeziness, Cardinal is an arresting and quietly majestic presence without indulging in overt dramatics or wearing fancy clothes—like royals embarrassing themselves at the other end of the stage. She also embodies the only character here who never lapses into the cartoonish mode this play often skews toward.
Though Scratch has some ability to intimidate, Eddie’s overall vibe is goofy. He intentionally undermines his sinister potential with a giddy, aw shucks charm. His gradual transition into a genuinely vulnerable man seeking challenge and connection is rather sweet and sincere. He and Tantoo really ground this intriguing yet uneven play.
Playing out in tandem with the devil’s wheeling and dealing, is an inheritance and legacy drama in a nearby castle. Sir Arthur Banks, a hilariously doddering and loquacious patriarch (delightfully portrayed by the ever-persuasive Oliver Dennis), is not long for this world and needs an heir. He has little hope for his legitimate son—the Morris-dancing, effeminate and obviously queer-coded Cuddy (Thomas Mitchell Barnet). More promising is the once-poor, suave opportunist, Frank (Shawn Ahmed), who has weaselled himself into the old man’s affections.
For the most part, Frank and Cuddy’s rivalry is played for broad laughs, but I was rather intrigued by Cuddy’s ambivalence. He’s desperate to earn his father’s respect and viscerally despises Frank for the threat he poses, but he is also very much attracted to him. In a very odd, tonally-dynamic sequence, Frank offers to indirectly gratify Cuddy’s needs in an explicitly homoerotic “fight.” Though the scene ends morbidly, it’s very endearing, with a genuine, intimate and layered tension between them that Barnet and Ahmed handle with nuance.
Though Heeyun Park 박희윤 is funny and earnest, Winnifred is, perhaps, the least fully realized cog in the offbeat, ambitious machinery of this story. Masquerading as a scullery maid to the Banks household, she’s married to Frank and holding out hope that, once his position is secured, he’ll honour their union. It is satisfying to witness her naiveté dissipate as she achieves some agency in this scenario.
Of Ting-Huan 挺歡 Christine Urquhart’s rather gorgeous period costumes, I was especially enamoured with Scratch’s yassified, subtly iridescent doublet. Nick Blais’ set—a royal throne at one end, Sawyer’s hut with pottery and animal furs at the other, with faux stonework floor running between—enhances the deliberate theatrical artifice. The centrepiece is a large well that feels darkly enchanted. It was hard to discern from my vantage point, but there seems to be some trickery with a reflective surface at the bottom that bounced Jareth Li’s lush lighting in mesmerizing patterns.
Though this never gets fully unhinged, Dennis’s sensual scene with Banks’ late wife’s urn is a, uh, special experience. When Sawyer finally lands on what she’d want in exchange for her soul, I found her proposition hauntingly beautiful. For all its humour, Witch goes to some dark, awful places I found very compelling. The epilogue with Scratch, however, was overlong, entirely unnecessary and kills the mystique of the moment that came directly before—a moment that should have been the ending.
Witch
January 29 to March 1, 2026
Young Centre for the Performing Arts
(50 Tank House Lane)
1 hour, 45 minutes (no intermission)
Nicholas Eddie and Tantoo Cardinal in Witch | Photo by Dahlia Katz