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Women, Beware the Devil (Modern Plays)

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Lulu Raczka’s Almeida debut manages to subvert so many things that it’s difficult to know where to start with a straightforward description of it. Theatre includes: Dancing at Lughnasa (National Theatre); Summer and Smoke; The Merchant of Venice; Blood Wedding (The Lir). In Women, Beware the Devil, that evil shows itself in the role of Elizabeth, who as a noblewoman is barred from owning property, or making a life for herself – so she shamelessly manipulates her brother into doing what she wants. Double, double, toil and trouble: what strange sorcery is this? Lulu Raczka’s new play sounded so enticing – a murky brew of witchcraft, politics and revenge tragedy – but it turns out that it is more likely to induce indigestion than intoxication. Oozing lurid imagery, it has a certain appealing, audacious swagger, thanks in no small part to a sumptuous production by Rupert Goold. But it is also a frustrating mess, its notions about class, gender and power barely conceived, let alone developed. The imminent collapse of feudal Britain is made relevant through Elizabeth, an unmarried woman, enduring patriarchy’s ever-encroaching advances, including the horror of her brother’s incestuous desires, as she attempts to keep control of the estate.

Women, Beware the Devil at Almeida Theatre Islington Women, Beware the Devil at Almeida Theatre Islington

Theatre includes: Good; Walden; Uncle Vanya; Rosmersholm; The Birthday Party; Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (West End); Future Frequencies (Esch 2022); The Wife of Willesden (Kiln Theatre); Is God Is; The Song Project; Bodies; Fake News; Linda; God Bless The Child; The Low Road (Royal Court); Under Milk Wood (National Theatre); The Son (Kiln Theatre/ West End); The Half God of Rainfall (Fuel Theatre/ Kiln Theatre/ Birmingham Rep); Blood Wedding; Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train; The Emperor (Young Vic). If Arthur Miller (often irked when the humour in his plays was overlooked) had decided to use witchcraft merely as the basis for a comedy with elements of magical realism, he might have written something like this beguiling new play. But Miller would have injected more rigour and discipline.For the Almeida: The Tragedy of King Richard the Second; Against; Carmen Disruption; Little Revolution; The ; King Lear; Filumena; Measure for Measure; When the Rain Stops Falling.

Women, Beware the Devil: ‘It Alison Oliver and Lulu Raczka on Women, Beware the Devil: ‘It

I’d love to add this work to that corpus of achievement but I found myself ultimately more bothered and bewildered than bewitched by a play which starts with tremendous dazzle but slowly goes up in smoke.

Women, Beware the Devil will feature set design by Miriam Buether, costume design by Evie Gurney, lighting design by Tim Lutkin, and sound design by Adam Cork. Television includes: October Faction; The Stranger; There S he Goes; Sex Education; Ride Out; My Insta Scammer Friend.

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