Abdul Sesay (As Frank Thorney), Imani Lee Williams (As Winnifred). Photo by Linda Johnson.
By Constance Garcia-Barrio
What would you want in exchange for your soul?
A bravura production of “Witch” by the Quintessence Theatre Group invites one to consider that question. The play, making its Philadelphia premiere, is on stage now at the Sedgwick Theatre, 7137 Germantown Avenue.
Written by novelist, poet, and playwright Jen Silverman, “Witch” dives into themes of power, violence, sexuality, and gender expression.
Trevor William Fayle (As Cuddy Banks), Steven Rishard* (As Sir Arthur Banks), Abdul Sesay (As Frank Thorney), Imani Lee Williams (As Winnifred). Photo by Linda Johnson.
“Witch” also centers an outcast’s point of view. “This season is dedicated to the ‘outsiders,’ people who through their own choice or due to the dictates of society, have found themselves existing outside of the mainstream…,” said Alex Burns, producing artistic director of Quintessence. “It seemed like a necessary theme for our [17th] season was we witness an ever-growing number of people who feel alienated or like outsiders in their own community and life.”
In “Witch,” set in an indefinite past, the devil, (Frank Jimenez), who goes by Scratch, arrives in Edmonton, a semi-rural village. Seductive, handsome, and oozing charm, Scratch tries to entice Elizabeth (Suli Holum), the reputed witch, into selling her soul. Elizabeth, once the lover of Sir Arthur Banks (Steven Rishard), a wealthy, powerful man, tasted a life of riches during their affair. Now villagers see her as a dangerous woman who lives in a rustic cottage.
With Scratch’s help, Elizabeth could avenge herself on the people who ostracize her. Scratch says:
Frank Jimenez (As Scratch, the devil). Photo by Linda Johnson.
“The villagers who are cruel to you? Make a list. Their cows get pox. Girls who giggle behind their hands? Warts on the hands. I mean, it all sort of depends on you, at that point.“
When Elizabeth says no, despite her grudges and loneliness, Scratch heads for Sir Arthur’s castle. There, Scratch makes a deal with Frank Thorney (Abdul Sesay), an ambitious young protégé of Sir Arthur. However, Frank, a farmer’s son who has enjoyed Sir Arthur’s largesse, living in the castle for five years, stands on shaky ground. When Sir Arthur dies, Frank could be booted out. Hungering for land, wealth, and security, Frank sells his soul in order to be Sir Arthur’s heir.
Frank is secretly married to Winnifred (Imani Lee Williams), who has become a servant in Sir Arthur’s castle to be near Frank.
To further complicate things, Sir Arthur already has an heir: his son, Cuddy Banks (Trevor William Fayle). Cuddy, who is gay, devotes himself to morris-dancing, a traditional English folk dance. In Cuddy, Scratch finds another eager client. “You can have my soul,” Cuddy says. “I want you to kill Frank.”
“I think we can make that work,” Scratch said.
Those bargains sealed, Scratch returns to Elizabeth to take another crack at persuading her. He’s intrigued by Elizabeth, one of his few failures in eons. Things develop in a surprising way.
The whole cast gave superb performances. Jimenez as the devil stood out, with exquisite command of every gesture and shading of voice.
The cast deftly handled challenges. In the early scenes, Winnifred, waiting on the men at a meal, doesn’t speak, but does conveys her feelings clearly through a tightening face or shifting shoulder.
Suli Holum (As Elizabeth Sawyer, the witch), Frank Jimenez (As Scratch, the devil). Photo by Linda Johnson.
Abdul Sesay’s character, Frank, makes despicable choices. Sesay achieves the delicate balance needed to humanize Frank even as he casts aside the love of his life. “Frank is a social climber, and the audience must understand his choices,” Sesay said, who began acting in high school when a friend literally took him by the hand to an audition.
Sesay’s background helps him inhabit different characters. “My parents are from Sierra Leone,” said New Jersey native Sesay. His African cultural heritage combined with navigating life in the U.S. provides a dual perspective. “[My background] gives me a sense of empathy for the other,” he said. “Typically, I end up liking the characters I play.”
Humor –sometimes with a sad edge—adds to the play’s brisk pace. When Winnifred, serving the men a sumptuous meal, hears Frank, her secret husband, deny that they are married, she pours a liqueur in his lap, then says it was an accident.
In other scenes, the audience learns that Scratch is one of many devils assigned to buy souls. At one point he slips up and forgets to have the seller sign the contract.
The set cleverly emphasizes windows; they were a measure of wealth in times past, program notes say. Sir Arthur’s castle has a large arched window while others hang from the ceiling.
Stories of pacts with the devil date back to at least the sixth century, historians say. “Witch,” is based on the 1621 of Elizabeth Sawyer. Charged with using witchcraft to kill her neighbor, Agnes Ratcleife, Sawyer was hanged. English dramatists Thomas Dekker, John Ford, and William Rowley collaborated on “The Witch of Edmonton,” written soon after Sawyer’s execution.
Closer to home, it was rumored that the lure of fame and fortune led blues guitarist Robert Johnson (1911-1938), to bargain away his soul. In a midnight meeting at a Mississippi crossroads, the devil tuned and strummed Johnson’s guitar, the story goes, thus conferring on Johnson otherworldly musicianship.
Quintessence brings audiences Jen Silverman’s brisk-paced contemporary take on an idea that has long fascinated humans. Abdul Sesay made a thoughtful remark about these diabolical doings. “I ultimately think the devil brings out what is already in us,” he said.
“Witch.” By Jen Silverman. Directed by Maura Krause. $55-65. Multiple discounts, group sales, event details, and information are available at qtgrep.org or by calling the box office at (215) 987-4450. Through October 25, 2026, at the Sedgwick Theater, 7137 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia. (215) 987-4450 or quintessencetheatre.org.