A compelling blend of historical fact and supernatural mystery, Rona Munro’s The Last Witch is a fictionalised account of the last woman to be officially burned for witchcraft in Scotland. Through the fiery clashes between Janet Horne (Paula Searle) and Dornoch’s spiteful new sheriff Captain Ross (Toby Rowe), The Castle Hill Players’ rendition of The Last Witch explores the dynamics of social power between men and women in the 18th century and presents a cautionary tale of what happens when two equally intemperate people with the power to cause harm refuse to back down.
Paula Searle is an electric presence onstage, capturing Janet as both woman and myth through stunning monologues and sometimes shocking interactions with other characters. She has two brilliant moments in Act I that I believe summarise her character; when Captain Ross first visits her cottage to investigate, she easily gains the upper hand in their conversation and evades his questions, acting as though she is about to deny the accusations. She then offers to read his palm and divine his past, a blatant act of witchcraft and a ridiculous escalation of the situation. Later on, in a lovely but misguided moment of emotional connection, Janet comforts Helen and her friend/neighbour Elspeth Begg (Penny Johnson) in their hunger by drugging them with a hallucinogenic herb to make them believe they have access to food. I loved this little show of Janet’s strange ways of caring, and I also loved the (perhaps accidental) nod to a popular Salem witch trials theory.
Janet’s constant contradictions make it almost impossible for the audience to form a solid opinion on her. Is she really a witch? Is she even really all that much smarter than the daughter she derides? Perhaps only Janet could give a definitive answer.
The play’s opening night brought a stunning set design of sprawling grass and weathered stone structures, polishing off the scenes with a perfect use of lighting and sound alongside an admirable commitment to Scottish accents. I particularly enjoyed the slow shifting of an aurora borealis as Janet cast her opening spells, the orange glow of the stones underneath Janet’s stake, and the simplicity of spotlights becoming a full moon for Janet’s daughter Helen (Chloe Overeem) to take her own first steps into magic.
Hidden beneath the sordid tales of seduction, ego, and the haunting presence of what could be the Devil himself, The Last Witch is a simple story of the enduring strength of everyday women. The male characters pop in and out of scenes, delivering powerful sweeping statements that completely change the lives of Janet, Helen, and Elspeth, but the relationships forged from powerlessness between these three women ultimately become powerful enough to stop Captain Ross’ path for vengeance and end the cycle of violence before it sweeps beyond Janet.
To book tickets to The Last Witch, please visit https://paviliontheatre.org.au/the-last-witch/.
Photographer: Chris Lundie
