Review: The Noon Witch features great performances in a drab story

For a show about witches, The Noon Witch features very little magic, absolutely no cauldrons and a story that ultimately falls somewhat flat. Fortunately, it’s buoyed by an incredible cast that breathes incredible life into the story.

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The Noon Witch is the latest production from Teatro Live!, originally written by beloved playwright Stewart Lemoine 30 years ago and performed by Teatro in 1995. It runs until March 9 at the Varscona Theatre.

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The noon witch is pulled from Slavic folklore, a woman who appears only at midday to confuse and seduce hapless workers. While the original tales told of a woman who would cut off workers’ heads if they did not answer her tricky questions, our antagonist has much more mundane tricks up her sleeve.

Lemoine’s witch is a wily figure, using her wit and feminine wiles to lure in unsuspecting men she meets in the park in Budapest. Staying true to her name, she only appears at exactly noon and makes herself scarce quickly thereafter, frightened by the passage of time or the introduction of witnesses.

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She is hunting hapless young men, pretending to be upset to gain their sympathy and then luring them in with the offer of food. She hauls baskets of delectable treats and heavy Hungarian dishes to tempt these poor, defenceless young men she meets in the park. Like the sirens of Greek mythology, she uses her song to make these men go crazy.

What she ultimately wants to do with these men is never made clear. Kill and eat them? Mount their heads on her wall in some sick competition against the evening witch and the morning witch? If it’s never spelled out, the audience inserts our own deepest fears.

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But The Noon Witch isn’t dark satire, seedy comedy or anything sinister. Instead, it’s a pleasant and jovial show about three young men pulled into the web of a sinister temptress intent on luring a man.

While the story falls flat, the acting is top-notch. Nida Vanderham as the witch Tinka is manipulative and cunning, but she never pushes it too far into the evil villain territory. She’s just after a few male victims, not the overthrow of society.

Ethan Lang, Aidan Laudersmith and Eli Yaschuk take on the roles of the three hapless men, Sandor, Anatol and Joszef. Again, they play their parts to perfection, providing just enough physical comedy and goofiness to pull laughs without going over the top. Their characters are heartwarming and convincing, three friends caught up in a weird situation where empathy and comradery will get them through.

Michelle Diaz as the analytical Dr. Katelin Vac is the fun foil to the group. Her deadpan delivery is a brilliant juxtaposition to the larger-than-life trio of men she’s performing against.

Unfortunately, all of the best acting is crammed into a slightly dull story that relies too much upon unfamiliar Hungarian names and places to build mystique but ultimately goes nowhere.

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Is this a commentary about the power imbalance between men and women? About questioning the motives of unsolicited gifts? Maybe the weird and wacky nature of early 20th-century folklore?

It doesn’t seem to be about any of these things. But sometimes a cigar is just a cigar and The Noon Witch is just a fun comedy with some great lines and brilliant delivery.

The Noon Witch

When: Until March 9, evenings at 7:30 p.m., Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.

Where: Varscona Theatre, 10329 83 Ave

Tickets: Regular $42, senior $37, student $25

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