71%
(92 Ratings)
Positive
64%
Mixed
26%
Negative
10%
Members say
Great acting, Entertaining, Quirky, Clever, Disappointing
About the Show
Production Covid-19 Safety Protocols
Sarah Ruhl's new comedy about a descendant of an accused witch living in present-day Salem.
A dark modern comedy by Sarah Ruhl, Becky Nurse of Salem follows the titular Becky (played by Tony Award-Winner Deirdre O’Connell), a present day descendent of accused witch Rebecca Nurse.
Becky, who is employed by the local witch museum, appears to be facing a string of bad luck, which leads her to wonder if she is dealing with a generational curse. Or perhaps something less paranormal.
A story about the past and present of misogyny, dark magic, and even Arthur Miller.
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Show-Score Member Reviews(92)
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Member 2dc3d0fa
72 Reviews | 6 Followers
100
Great writing, Great acting, Entertaining, Delightful, Clever
See it ifYou want to watch actors who look like real people play characters in a very believable story.
Don't see it ifYou only like Disney adaptations.
SUSANP
193 Reviews | 29 Followers
97
Great writing, Relevant, Refreshing, Great acting
See it ifI loved Diedra O'Connell's performance. She truly inhabited Becky Nurse especially as the ancestor. I'm not a fan of playwrite but liked it
Don't see it ifIf you need a linear plot line don't go. It jumps back and forth to the Salem witch trials.
Mary Siobhan
270 Reviews | 63 Followers
89
Relevant, Great acting, Great staging, Great writing, Intelligent
See it ifYou enjoy great writing & performance, If you relate to being punished for honesty and directness. Or if Arthur Miller always creeped u out
Don't see it ifYou prefer obiedent "well behaved" womenRead more
jenn32870
300 Reviews | 65 Followers
89
Intelligent, Quirky, Great acting, Ambitious, Absorbing
See it ifyou are interested in the Salem witch trials, or the type of crystal loving, patchouli wearing 'healers' you'll find in Asheville
Don't see it ifyou are triggered by opioid abuse, or if you can't follow what is supposedly real and what is taking place in Becky's mind
M 608343
581 Reviews | 89 Followers
88
Deirdre o'connell is brilliant, Great acting, Clever
See it ifyou want a pretty good show that is elevated to terrific by the amazing Deirdre O'Connell.She is worth seeing in anything.This show is good.
Don't see it ifPlay was a bit dull.It sort of dragged.But O'Connell is so good that I didn't care about the material!
Kent 2
224 Reviews | 75 Followers
85
Thought-provoking, Quirky, Great acting, Funny, Clever
See it ifLooking for something completely different and a tad bizarre.
Don't see it ifYou want a conventional or predictable theater experience.
CAROL H 612680
520 Reviews | 71 Followers
85
Entertaining, Intelligent, Funny, Great acting, Clever
See it ifYou want a fresh take on the Crucible and witch trials. Creative, spiced with intellectual humor. Very entertaining.
Don't see it ifYou are not open to new concepts in theater. Show was bit weird but then again it’s a show about witches.
MaestroMarvelous
51 Reviews | 6 Followers
83
Magical, Refreshing, Great acting, Funny, Entertaining
See it ifYou like shows about dealing with history and exploring the hardships of life in the modern day.
Don't see it ifYou don’t like shows centered around women.
Critic Reviews (14)
December 4th, 2022
Maya Phillips
"The play spends two hours dancing around a vaguely defined feminist message...It hasn’t figured out the spell that will bring real magic to the stage."
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December 5th, 2022
Raven Snook
"3/5 Stars. Sarah Ruhl seems to be interested in the ways in which historical hysteria gets echoed in today's highly polarized America, but some of her parallels...are more convincing than others...Although director Rebecca Taichman elicits solid performances from most of the actors, she doesn’t manage to smooth over the tonal shifts...Even so, Deirdre O'Connell works wonders."
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December 5th, 2022
Gillian Russo
"This [point] serves as a reminder that neither historical nor current witch hunts were ever about the supernatural, but about the very natural experience of being a woman with power."
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December 4th, 2022
Zachary Stewart
"I couldn't help thinking about the art of meme creation as I watched Sarah Ruhl's 'Becky Nurse of Salem'...It's clear that Becky Nurse isn't driven by the objectives of its characters, but the motives of its author."
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December 15th, 2022
David Barbour
Becky's problems are many and varied, including some notably poor personal choices, and her story is an uneasy mélange of comic, dramatic, and magical elements spiked with textual exegesis and feminist commentary. Its plot is less than persuasive, its comedy surprisingly mild, and its ideas often too obviously imposed on the action. It's a witches' brew that probably could have stood a little more time bubbling in the cauldron.
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December 4th, 2022
Howard Miller
"The off-the-wall plot twists notwithstanding, the adventures of Becky Nurse provide us with a delightfully offbeat evening of theater in the company of some first-rate actors. And that's witchcraft of the finest sort."
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December 4th, 2022
David Finkle
"Too bad the author hasn’t used more of her own first-rate playwrighting witchery for this Arthur Miller-like political indictment."
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December 4th, 2022
Melissa Rose Bernardo
"O’Connell effortlessly navigates Becky’s highs and lows, not to mention forays into basic witchcraft. She is, in a word, spellbinding."
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