A WITCH’S BREW WHICH EFFECTS HOPE
AT HALLOWEEN
There’s a play about the Salem witch trials playing in Chicago, and amazingly it’s not Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Sarah Ruhl wanted a turn at telling the story but from a modern lens, folding in Trump’s America and the opioid crisis. The resulting play is Becky Nurse of Salem which premiered off-Broadway at Lincoln Center Theatre in December 2022. Now it’s making it’s Midwest debut with Shattered Globe Theatre.
Rebecca Jordan and Linda Reiter
Rebecca Jordan and Linda Reiter (back to camera)
Linda Reiter
Directed by Polly Noonan, Becky Nurse of Salem is a weird and wonderful play with a whole lot of heart. Shattered Globe’s production keeps things simple with a minimal set by Jack Magaw, cleverly practical props by Mariah Bennett, and costumes by Jessie Gowens that get the job done. Linda Reiter plays a pugnacious Becky Nurse, a descendant of Rebecca Nurse who was put to death for witchcraft in 1692. Becky spends her days giving tours at the Salem Museum of Witchcraft while she struggles to raise her troubled granddaughter, Gail (Isabella Maria Valdés), in Trump’s America. When her impulsivity gets her into trouble, Becky turns to a local witch (Rebecca Jordan) for help.
Liz Linda Reiter and Lauren Ramón Camín
Linda Reiter and Adam Schulmerich
Ramón Camín and Linda Reiter
At first, Becky just wants to use magic to help her provide for Gail, but the witch tempts her with a love spell to win the heart of her best friend, Bob (Ramón Camín). For a while, the magic seems to be working, but one spell leads to another and Becky’s downward spiral picks up speed. True to her style, Ruhl (Eurydice, In the Next Room [or the Vibrator Play]) keeps things a little surreal in this tragicomedy. 2016/17 bleeds into 1692, drawing parallels between the two time periods. The added layer of Becky’s dependence on opioids further blurs the lines between what’s “real” and what’s all in Becky’s head, particularly when she’s going through withdrawal. Is magic responsible for any of this?
Linda Reiter and Isabella Maria Valdés
Rebecca Jordan and Linda Reiter
Rebecca Jordan and Linda Reiter
The play leaves that question open ended. Maybe it’s magic. Maybe it’s chance. Maybe it’s Becky finally taking responsibility for her actions, but the play ends on a very hopeful note. Becky speaks a line toward the end that sums up the message of this play for me: “The world is broken and still we have to try to make it better.” With themes of forgiveness and accountability, this play, while still quite appropriate for spooky season, left me feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
Hilary Williams
Isabella Maria Valdés, Linda Reiter and Diego Rivera-Rodriguez
Diego Rivera-Rodriguez and Linda Reiter
photos by Liz Lauren
Linda Reiter (front), Adam Schulmerich and the Cast
Becky Nurse of Salem
Shattered Globe Theatre
Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.
Thurs-Sat at 8; Sun at 3; Sat at 3 (Nov. 16 only)
ends on November 16, 2024
for tickets ($10-$52), call 773.975.8150 or visit SG Theatre
for more shows, visit Theatre in Chicago
