It’s 2015. At this point, we must have seen just about every iteration and incarnation of fairy tale that can possibly be cooked up by wandering minstrels and Walt Disney… right?
Wrong. Witches, at its core, is a refreshing new take on the classic sleeping princess slash daring knight rescuer tale, weaving a modern take onto the original lore that hammers home a message about magic, mystery, and motherhood.
For one, they’re married. For another, she doesn’t remember who he is when she wakes up. And lastly, she’s a bat person. That’s right. Here there be bat people.
The director and writer, Scott Courlander, notes in the program that Witches is a spinoff of an earlier play, and really gets at the grit of the sleeping princess story mentioned in a few lines of this play’s companion work. But Witches is more than capable of standing alone — as a comedy, it is a treasure trove of one liners, pratfalls, and an epic rap battle that leaves the audience whistling. In its dramatic moments, it tugs at the heartstrings like a well tuned lute.
Witches
Written and directed by Scott Courlander
Fight Choreographer: Casey Kaleba
Details and tickets
The characters are classic — a knight, his loyal jester, his lady love, and three witches. However, the personality brought to them by playwright and actors alike is anything but dusty. They are transformed into friends and family, bound by past experiences and noticeable quirks that are so often left out of the pages of storybooks.
Most noticeably compelling is the moment when Red (Christopher Herring) and Fanglette (Katie Courlander) re-experience falling in love; their attraction is based not solely on the aesthetic, but on trust and kindness, a connection between them that promises there will truly be a happily ever after… if only everyone can make it out of the witches’ hovel alive.
For riddles, rhyme, and a roaring good time, head over yonder to Brookland, storm the gates of the Dance Place Loft (with a ticket and button, of course), and join our heroes as they explore just what transforms the mundane medieval into the truly magical.
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