K.S. Norris is on solid ground with this new play – witches always make good drama. Like Arthur Miller’s classic, The Crucible, and many plays inspired by it, there’s no doubt the topic is fruitful. The history is rich and including ‘Witch Finder General’ Matthew Hopkins as a character a strong idea; it’s all interesting stuff.

Striving for balance is an important move. Norris gives the accused, Elizabeth Clarke, her say – we’d expect that nowadays. But the piece takes time over her tormentor Hopkins, even if insight into the man is a little rushed. A lot rests on Anastasia Babich and Finton McCluskey who take these parts but, regrettably, struggle at times over the understandably manic touches. Babich laughs a little too readily while McCluskey’s character is too prone to panic. But there’s also time with Hopkins’ mentor, his mother and potential fiancé, nice roles for Rob Wallis, Emily Fellows and Nika Kamaeva, that prove to be highlights.

Unfortunately, the script does not help the performers. There are too many olde worlde flourishes. It’s not that they’re unbelievable—Norris has a clear sense of how the Bible filled her subjects’ lives—but the actors stumble over them. While the direction, from Norris and Davy Tennison, aims for control, it ends up slow with the drama and efforts at humour or romance uneven. And there are issues around audibility with too many lines lost. Atmosphere is left to the score from Finn Weston and, while this is strong, it is not enough.

The conclusion has impact, even if the sense of history repeating itself is pessimistic. Perhaps it is best to think of Deliver Us From Evil as an introduction to the topic. The setting and the arguments are clear and there’s plenty to ponder. But the play suffers from offering little that is new, whether in its storytelling, its historical insight or the perspective it offers.

Until 6 August 20226

www.khoasproductions.co.uk