Hexed

This is the only show I've given a standing O to. It was INCREDIBLY acted. The whole set was two chairs. But i was so immersed in this show, it didn't matter.

I was moved to tears by the story and the excellent acting, what a beautiful production. I met a lady who had a “poppet” (see the show) and was intrigued and NOW I HAVE A POPPET!! A handmade souvenir from the show.

My favorite production I’ve seen this fringe. Maybe ever!

This show just never seemed to get moving.

The premise was interesting: A man (a nice change) is accused of being a witch by a neighbour and is sentenced to death.

Set in 18th century America, the dialogue is period appropriate and the actors are well cast. However, the pace of the dialogue never changes and what we get is a kind of monotone that quite frankly was lulling me into a nap.

And nothing really happens. It’s a series of remembrances of times gone by and declarations of affection, which seemed to me unbelievable given the hard work these homesteaders would have undergone.

The characters were somewhat cliche: The hero, his steadfast wife, the fair-minded reverend and the evil neighbour who has unjustly accused our hero.

Others have mentioned the odd lighting but it bears repeating. There was a bright spot downstage centre, howver, much of the dialogue happens in the dark, which is very disconcerting.

All in all, the show never really caught my attention and I found myself looking at my watch, wondering if I would have enough time to get to my next show.

The dialogue, the story and the performances were incredible. If you are looking for a piece of THEATRE, this is it. From the first word spoken you could tell the performers have lived in this script. You can tell the performers have broken down every single line and attached intention and meaning to it all. There wasn't a weak line in the script. It was refreshing to watch a drama not succumb to moments of poor acting or a scene of bad dialogue. If there aren't Sterlings attached to these performances , I'm not sure what they are for.

Fringe is about exploration of art, but it seems to thrive on musical improvs and variety shows, which is wonderful, but every once in awhile a drama really stands out: this is that drama. My 14 and 12 year olds were engaged and enthralled by everything and that really shows just how good this production is.

The ending is somewhat abrupt, and yes, the stage combat is a tad messy, but stage combat is very hard to do these days unless you can afford a proper fight choreographer.

Go see this show!

If you like good acting, good playwriting, and just good theatre in general, do yourself a favour, and go see Hexed!

This moody, emotional, resonant, and timely play was a prime find! From the costuming, the direction, the light and dark play on the lighting - wow doesn’t cover it - I was blown away that something so polished and professional appeared at a fringe festival.

Set in historical early America during the witch trials I was surprised how much of the dialogue fwas so timely to today. And speaking of dialogue, the show, though from a contemporarywriter, felt both historical and yet rolled of the tongues of the accomplished actors.

Was thrilled to meet this cast when I spotted them out and about - they area a wonderful talented troupe from Alaska - seriously, you don’t want to miss this powerful poignant work of art!

The acting was superb! Goodman and Goodwife Briar felt like a very real couple who'd spent their lives together, and their moments together brought a lot of heart to this show.

The script was good, and accurate to the time period.

The lighting was a bit odd, I found the actors wandered out of their light a lot, but I don't think it took away from my enjoyment of the show.

Another reviewer mentioned that they found it strange there was no land acknowledgement for this show, though, and I agree that when you're doing a show about colonial themes there should be more effort to acknowledge the land you're doing it on, particularly if the script includes colonial language/ideology in the name of historical accuracy.

A man in a cell accused of Witchcraft — a crime he did not commit — and sentenced to death. Hexed: The Accusation of Goodman Briar is a period-piece play comprised of four actors, detailing the last hour Goodman Briar has in his life before he is to be publicly executed for accusations of Witchcraft. As he spends this last hour with his wife, the story of their lives and how they came to be there are revealed to the audience. Memories both fond and tragic, past hopes and dreams, and a shocking twist are uncovered as the play moves forward, the actors’ expert skills leaving the audience hanging on their every word.

A major aspect of this show is that it is incredibly dialogue-based. The show relies heavily on the actors, with no music, minimal props and set, and simple lighting. The actors are what make this play — and they did a truly incredible job. In particular, the married characters of Goodman Briar and Goodwife Briar had the audience truly, truly believing they were in love. I found myself thinking “there is no way these two people aren’t married.” Each actor’s performance was spectacular, with each one carrying so, so many lines throughout the show and executing them flawlessly.

One part of this show that just stood out above all else was the feeling it induced in the audience. A husband and wife spending their last hour together, needing to come to the realization that one of them was about to die, and the other would be left behind. The immense combination of sadness and love — that is not an easy situation to act. These actors performed it phenomenally.

To be frank, this show made me cry. If you would love to see a period-piece play that is intelligent, emotional, and incredibly well done, Hexed is absolutely the show for you.

This was a last minute addition for us. We were choosing between two shows to end the day, and we happened to see the cast for hexed, and decided it was a sign.

And it was!

This blew us away. It's heavy, emotional, and the entire cast had us enrapt even though it was past midnight after a long day.

I'm a big fan of historical fiction, so it was right up my alley, but anyone who enjoys a good drama will love this.

At the Yardbird suite, it's a good theatre as well.

The cast was so personable too. We talked to them when we made our decision and again after the show.

Of all the shows to not have a land acknowledgment! If your historical play is not only set in a colonial setting, but directly parroting colonial viewpoints in its dialogue, you need to address that. The all-White cast of characters bring up a missionary-type trip to the West Indes, telling the story of a Black “witch”, and question whether angels can be Black. The main character adamantly reinforces his family’s entitlement to the land they own in Massachusetts, that their family has owned it for generations, rebuking the idea of others owning it after his death. These are all deeply colonial ways of thought that are accurate to religious settlers at the time and place, but the playwright wrote this in contemporary times—so why no contextual note which could easily fit into a land acknowledgment, before or after the show?

That aside, this show needed a director who was not the playwright (a common gripe of mine) or some outside dramaturgical support. The blocking, lighting, and lack of music was strange. The lighting was essentially a white, cold, almost-spotlight on the center of the stage. I was baffled to see actors walk to the sides of the stage during their lines, into darkness where we could barely make out their faces.

I also questioned the intention of the script in having witches be real. Historical witch burnings in New England happened due to systemic complexities, often rooted in sexism, homophobia, religious prejudice, etc. To turn around and say witches were real is to justify the practice of witch burnings, because some of them were truly “guilty”—a questionable idea at best when discussing the mass miscarriage of injustice against, usually, disenfranchised populations. This seems to be a significant oversight for a play that was so interested in asking ethical questions.

I also questioned the motivation of the main character. He spends so many lines insisting upon his family’s ownership of the land they farm. The wife, too, validates this even as she acknowledges she is a first generation immigrant to the land. Then, the husband turns around and encourages his wife to abandon their land and flee?

Finally, the climax is Scooby-Doo levels of wacky deus ex machina. I was dumbfounded and jarred from what was, until then, generally a contemplative piece. I unfortunately started laughing because I was so shocked, and the end immediately distracted from any other thoughtful turns of phrase and philosophical discussions that I had enjoyed before that.

To end with the good, I think the performances of the leads (the husband and wife) are great, unconvincing stage combat aside. I would love to see them in something else in the future. There are also some beautiful moments of dialogue and spoken metaphor that I quite enjoyed. I wish those impressive elements hadn’t been dampened by many other missteps.