The Ungodly
26 October 2024
Southwark Playhouse Borough
2.0 out of 5.0 stars
The Ungodly, currently running at the Southwark Playhouse Borough until 16 November, looks at the witchcraft panic in the mid 1600s in England. Based on true events, it follows Susan and Richard Edwards as they are swept up in a witchcraft panic in their little town. Susan’s step-brother, self-proclaimed Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins, leads the charge in prosecuting women accused of conspiring with the devil to bring harm to those around them, turning the sleepy village against ordinary women to horrifying extent.
The small stage is incredibly well used, with gorgeous wooden period furniture and earth-toned costumes. As the story intensifies, with young women being accused of causing all sorts of tragic events with malice and devil worshipping, this show unfortunately lacks discernment, not applying a modern lens to the horrifying events that cost so many women their lives. It doesn’t question the narrative of witchcraft and satanism, it merely presents it with little doubt or insight into how a moral panic could spread so fast and far so easily. Instead of focussing on the victims, it places the Witchfinder General squarely in the centre of the action, showing his perspective and religious fervour as the main narrative that sweeps his family and congregation along.
Considering there have been a few recent shows examining these types of true events with a more insightful perspective, looking at the impact on those who were persecuted and their families with compassion and empathy to ask how and why these stories could happen, The Ungodly simply presents events without adding anything to the narrative, giving centre stage to the persecutors rather than the persecuted.
The pacing of the show is very slow, dragging the compelling parts of the story out to make it a trite journey through religious extremism, rather than viewing events of the past with a modern vantage point. While The Ungodly is well acted, well designed, and well researched, it just doesn’t hit the spot for me.
