Theatre Review: The Crucib★tch
Summary:
In Salem, Massachusetts, the teenage girls of the town keep vanishing into the woods and a mysterious goat stands creepily behind the church. Soon, fingers are pointed and accusations fly as religious hysteria floods the streets. “Witchcraft” they cry! But will they be able to make “witch” happen?!
Rating: ★★★★★
Running Dates: Thursday 3rd July 2025 - Saturday 5th July 2025
Where to see it: Tobacco Factory Theatres, Bristol
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Keywords: Historical, Witchcraft, Salem, Funny, Mature.
Review
Well, that was totally Brat.
It’s 1962 and in the puritanical town of Salem, normality is in disarray as the local girls are starting to find their voices and are using them to conjure and curse. Or try to at least. The show opens with a clever rewrite of a quote from ‘Mean Girls’ and sets the tone right out of the gate. This will be funny, this will be satirical, this will be totally fetch!
The Crucib*tch is a remix of the 1953 play by Arthur Miller ‘The Crucible’ which is a dramatized and partially fictionalised story of the Salem Witch Trails that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1692 to 1693. Over 200 people were accused of witchcraft during this time, with 30 people being found guilty, 19 of whom were executed by hanging. It is known as one of America’s most notorious cases of mass hysteria, and in the years that followed the trials, many of the teenage accusers admitted that they had fabricated their charges and the trials were deemed unlawful in 1702.
The topic is heavy, the themes of religion, mass hysteria, sexism and capital punishment might not sound like a fun way to spend your evening, but The Crucib*tch is an absolute triumph in contextualisation, exploration of themes, and making you laugh your butt off at the absurdity of it all. There are dance breaks, songs, sound effects, dramatic lighting changes and jokes upon jokes in this modernised reimagining. If you like film and tv references peppered in with originality, this one is for you.
Most impressive of all though was the cast. They all donned multiple hats (literally) to play the roles of the girls and some of the villagers and no one missed. I believed everyone's performances, the dramatic parts hit, the physicality of the storytelling was captivating and well choreographed and the singing voices were stunning. However, they all shone the most in their comedic timing. It’s a tricky thing, to be funny, to make a punchline work, but they were all incredibly skilled at it and the audience was rolling with laughter. It felt like a very mature performance from everyone on the cast, like they were dab hands, at it for years. Either that or they’d all put a curse on us to laugh at every opportunity…like As If!
Seriously though, this is one of the best things I have seen in a long time. It’s a retelling but it’s so unique. It’s a known story but it feels so fresh. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a quality night out filled with laughter and talent - this cast is exciting, this show is exciting, so jump on your broomstick and fly down to Tobacco Factory! You won’t regret it!
Standout Moment: The scene where all the girls dance in the woods was brilliant, it had dramatic lighting changes and great music. The recreation of this scene later on as well is hilarious!
See If: You like history and satirical humour.
Similar Plays/Musicals: The Crucible, Mean Girls, The Book of Mormon.
Last Impressions: An incredibly talented cast and a very funny play.
You can find last minute tickets for the show on the Tobacco Factory Theatres website
We were kindly gifted these tickets in exchange for a review.
Written by Amy Evans