Carlos’ mother and wife are at each other’s throats, each supporting contending candidates for the succession. Corrupt courtiers and fanatical clergy strive to outdo each other in devising grotesque restoratives of the royal potency, with no proposed remedy too monstrous or absurd. 

Barnes’ lurid depiction of a dynasty in crisis swings wildly between horror and farce. Deformity, madness, epileptic convulsions, flagellation, torture, demented ritual, Latin incantations and shrieking execrations abound in the court. It’s all the more shocking set against the utter lack of concern of the ruling class for the lives of the powerless.

Barnes may depict the powers-that-be as both insane and corrupt, but he offers his audience the catharsis of hysterical laughter.

“Incredibly funny” is how Williams describes the play. “Barnes tapped into that early seventies British humour that spawned Monty Python and Benny Hill. It’s absurd and crass, there are a lot of jokes about bodily functions, but it’s also got this remarkable intellect and the language is unique.

“Though it’s a comedy written in a world of carnival, The Bewitched is at heart a political play,” said Williams. “Barnes is a socialist in a lot of ways and Bewitched is a reaction to the poverty, unemployment and financial ruin he saw around him. The play was written in 1974, a time of great social and political upheaval in the UK. Everyone was questioning leadership.

“That’s what makes this play particularly relevant today, in the midst of our global recession,“ Williams said. “Then and now, we see a political climate where people are clamouring for change and it’s like voices echoing in an empty cavern. Corruption, deceit, and maintenance of a status quo that leave ordinary people feeling like sheep – timeless political themes perhaps?”

Barnes (1931-2004) leaped to instant fame with his play The Ruling Class (1968), an absurdist extravaganza about an English aristocrat who insists that he is God. The 1972 movie version (adapted by Barnes for the screen) earned Peter O’Toole an Oscar nomination. Other works for the stage include Leonardo’s Last Supper (1969), Laughter (1978) and Red Noses (1985, produced by Theatre @York in 1996). Barnes’ screenplay for Enchanted April was nominated for the “best adaptation” Oscar in 1992.

A Toronto-based actor and in-demand director, Williams is the recipient of three Dora Awards: two for outstanding performance ( Volcano Theatre’s Two Words for Snow in 2003 and Alberta Theatre Project’s Six Degrees of Separation in 1995) and one for outstanding direction of York screenwriting Professor Colleen Wagner’s play The Monument for Obsidian Theatre in 2006. Williams and Wagner are frequent collaborators; in February of this year he directed a staged reading of her most recent play, Home, at Albert Theatre Projects’ Enbridge playRites Festival. In 2007 he directed Laius for Nightswimming, part of Ned Dickens’ City of Wine cycle. (York U takes on Seven from City of Wine as part of Nightswimming’s ambitious staging involving theatre schools from coast to coast May 2-9 at Theatre Passe Muraille.)

Working with Williams on The Bewitched is an ensemble of 25 undergraduate and graduate actors, performing the roles of some 40 characters. A talented creative team of undergraduates is handling all aspects of the production design and execution.

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Theatre @ York, the production company of York University's Theatre Department, has been entertaining audiences for 40 years. Each year, the company mounts a challenging season of plays drawn from the contemporary and classical repertoire, featuring some of Canada's most promising stage talent.

York’s theatre program has long been a springboard for some of Canada’s finest theatre artists. Alumni include screen and stage actors Rachel McAdams, Tamara Bernier, Thom Marriott, Patrick Galligan, Tara Rosling and Jennifer Gould; directors Weyni Mengesha, Richard Rose, Jim Millan and Soheil Parsa; playwrights Djanet Sears, Diane Flacks and Sally Clark; and stage designers Charlotte Dean, Renée Brode and Deeter Schurig.

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What:   Theatre @ York presents The Bewitched, directed by Nigel Shawn Williams

When:  April 19-25, opening Tues. April 21
Previews April 19 & 20 at 7:30pm; Opens April 21 and runs to April 25 at 7:30pm nightly, plus matinees April 22 & 24 at 1pm.

Where: Joseph G. Green Studio Theatre, Centre for Film and Theatre, York University, 4700 Keele St.

Admission: $15 | students & seniors $10. April 19 preview PWYC | April 20 preview $5

Box Office: 416.736.5888 | www.yorku.ca/perform/boxoffice

Media contact:
Amy Stewart, Communications, Faculty of Fine Arts, York U  |  416.650.8469   |   amy.stewart@yorku.ca