Rebecca Brewer and Daisy Chute's musical 'Coven', inspired by the 17th-century Pendle witch trials, aims to give voice to the accused women but falls short due to a glib and cartoonish portrayal. The production at the Kiln Theatre in London features a group of Lancashire women awaiting their fate behind bars, including church-going Frances (Shiloh Coke), heavily pregnant Rose (Lauryn Redding), herbalist Maggie (Jacinta Whyte), and midwife Nell (Allyson Ava-Brown). The drama begins with the arrival of Jenet (Gabrielle Brooks), who famously testified against her family as a child and is now accused of witchcraft herself.
Despite potentially powerful storylines—such as the coercion of children and the targeting of the poorest women—the musical stuffs in too much and fails to evoke sufficient horror. The comic tone and cartoonish portrayals lend a 'Blackadder-ish' glibness, and director Miranda Cromwell's production feels relentlessly off-key, despite a robust onstage band and strong vocal performances. The plot sprawls in unruly ways, with simplistic messages about empowerment and historical revisionism in the book and lyrics.
Initially appearing as an ensemble piece delving into each woman's world, the focus shifts to Jenet's psychodrama, eccentrically represented by a puppet of her childhood self. However, after that story is told, the musical swings in other directions: a childbirth scene with songs about mother earth, a broadly comic enactment of misogynistic historical figures, and King James I appearing to endorse the witch-hunts. The drama becomes increasingly static as it charges from one ballad to another, with plentiful ideas sloshing around haphazardly, turning what might have been inspired gig-theatre into a strange soup.
