Wenches!, by Hysterie Theater, is an enormously fun “what if” story about medieval peasants, time-travelling witches, and podcasts. Nortburga and Bertegilde are illiterate 15th-century German townswomen driven by guilt over their failure to support their persecuted friend to begin a long journey that causes them to grapple with modernity and questions of purpose.
Although all three actors are strong, the interplay between Maya Le Roux and Bianca Waechter (who also wrote the script together) as the central pair of peasants absolutely steals this show. The two have outstanding comic timing and an exceptionally precise ability to amplify the hilarity through their facial expressions and body language. Individually, each is superb, and, together, they create one of those rare and wonderful more-than-the-sum-of-their-parts synergy. Their skill in playing off each other is simply incredible.
The chemistry between the two friends successfully carries the show over some weaker elements: while the story is strong at the outset, with clever jokes and absurd situations, it loses its way once the actors join the modern age. The more intriguing delights are to be found in their fish-out-of-water status, but the story persists in delving into the less interesting world of podcast interviewing.
The audience meets new historical characters, ably portrayed by Derya Celikkol, through these exchanges, but they neither advance the story nor provide a rich comic vein. The trio raise themes about commercialisation, and “slacktivism” versus purposeful action, but these are mentioned more for fleeting laughs than allowed to become the basis of sustained satire. When the original premise, avenging their friend, does eventually reappear, it feels like a bit of an afterthought.
Effective multimedia elements such as projected animations and audio help bring the story to life, and some clever meta-humour helps bolster the sometimes underpowered plot. A little more structure and narrative arc could easily take this from a good show to a great one. The premise holds ample potential, and many of the elements have already been well-developed. Still, even in its present form, and largely due to its phenomenal performances, Wenches! is very much a show worth seeing.
