There are many non-professional theatre groups in the London area, and it is always good to welcome another, especially one based at The Glitch in Waterloo and boasting a predominantly youthful cast who can imbue their performances with great energy.
Not only that, but rather than choose an already published piece, four of them – Roo Berry, Megan Farquar, Lauren Foreman and Tia Ray – have written their own script, based on the talent they have available. They have chosen to look at the “Great Scottish Witch Hunt” of 1597, when Margaret Aitken (Megan Farquar) was accused of witchcraft and arrested for that crime in Fife. She claimed to be able to recognise other witches and when she reached Glasgow, the minister John Cowper (Dan Davison) condemned many innocent women to death on her testimony. Margaret was exposed as a fraud a few months later and was burned at the stake in August. Following this, a Glaswegian, Marion Walker (Roo Berry), obtained a copy of her confession and widely circulated it.
The Witch and the Whistleblower benefits from an attractive score by Ell Thompson and Jake Dufton, the harmony in the ensemble numbers being particularly impressive, the cast singing from a backing track with the live assistance of guitar and flute. In fact, the music makes no pretence of trying to be in the style of the sixteenth century or Scottish, but instead is “folk” inspired. If only there were more of it, as there are many long passages of verbal interplay in this...
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