If you love Halloween and/or Autumn, join Pygmalion Productions Theatre Company as they kick off the season with “The Weyward Sisters.” Written by local Utahn, L.L. (Larry) West, who is a retired teacher and has worked with the Sundance Theatre Lab. West has had several of his productions already shown at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Indiana, University of Pennsylvania and at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. However, with his latest work, West gives his own creative spin on the classic Shakespearean characters that’ll surely have everyone on the tip of their witch-toed shoes.
The play follows the tale of three Weyward sisters, Leandra, Skye and Fionn who happen to be “good” witches. This is an admittedly curious spin to the traditional role a witch plays, hence the title of the play, Weyward meaning weird. The sisters are hired to act in “Macbeth,” and while the focus of the play is about their experiences adjusting to this new world of theater, the plot unfolds in a peculiar way. After each scene of the play, the sisters are shown in their dressing room. West’s perspective on actually putting on a play is not only sure to keep an audience engaged, but will provide them with insight on what the process is like. We get to go through the journey of becoming an actress (or actor) with the Weyward Sisters. All in all, the show seems as it will be nothing but fun and innovative. Director Jeremy Chase says, “We get to take a classic work, turn it on its head, and give it a twist or two. Shenanigans ensue.”
Director and actors alike are excited to put on the show, because not only is it something they are dedicated to doing, it’s something they all enjoy, too. Actress Ali Lente remarked on this, “Larry has written a script that will hit a special place in the hearts of actors and avid audiences, but will still be funny and a rollicking good time to those a little less familiar with The Scottish Play.”
Be sure to end the Halloween season on a wicked note by seeing the Weyward Sisters in all their glory. You can see the show from Nov. 3-18 at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Black Box Theatre. Opening night is Nov. 3, at 7:30 pm. You can purchase tickets by clicking here.