Wenches!, Olive Studio at Greenside @ George Street Review
Written by Kerry McLaughlin for Theatre & Tonic
When the slideshow before Wenches begins it makes you believe it’s going to be a very dark show about female repression and the impact of the witch trials. What you actually get is one of the funniest shows of this year’s fringe.
Nortburga and Bertegilde have just seen their friend burned at the stake and fear they are next; that’s what happens in 15th-century Germany. They decide to visit the witch in the woods, who they hope can help them. Instead, they start a podcast. What follows is an insane amount of physical comedy, accent changes and somehow a warning of consumerism and how materialistic values can quickly overtake those of respect and compassion for the people we love.
The cast, though small, carries an incredibly strong script on their shoulders like it's a cloud rather than a weight. Not taking their eyes off the ball for a moment, and providing some of the most electrifying performances seen at the festival. There’s an ease to lean into the silliness of the script and when to pull back and let it speak for itself, and yet somehow you watch it thinking it couldn’t possibly get any better, and then it does.
Wenches! plays at Olive Studio at Greenside @ George Street until 23 August
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
