Review: Gunter (Royal Court Theatre)

Review by Beth Bowden

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gunter promises both Witchcraft and Football. One thing I love, and another I know nothing about –  and I’ll leave you to decide which is which. Exploring a witch trial in a South Oxfordshire village in the 17th century, Gunter, created by Dirty Hare, transfers to the Royal Court after huge 2023 success at Edinburgh Fringe. The story focuses on Anne Gunter, a young girl who claims to have been bewitched – foaming at the mouth, uncontrollably fitting, and vomiting up pins from demonic possession…

We sit down, and Front of House warns the front row that they might be in the splash zone… and I prepare myself for some delicious mess. Delightfully, I’m not wrong – and thrown, slathered and smeared across the stage are buckets of blood,  soil, sticky honey, red balloons, and animal heads. If this is the Dirty Hare Theatre Playbook, I have to say, I’m on board. Gunter is storytelling at its best, and I take such delight in the craft of it all – so deft, clever, textured and often extremely silly. 

There is magic conjured here. It is present in the cast's joyful, energetic connection to each other, in their dedication to uncovering this forgotten story, and the infectious fun in the telling of the story. The company are sharply intelligent, skilled actor-musos and artful at multi-rolling – playing every character from a bear to a dominatrix. I do feel consistently surprised and slightly hysterical, sliding from ‘Satan’s lap dance’, to a brief flash of Elphaba from Wicked, and a particularly crackers interpretation of James I. And look, I was born in a small South Oxfordshire town, so there’s an extra layer of nostalgic rural silliness and satanic panic for me here. But I’m not alone, because often the audience is cackling around me. 

It is also soft. Devised by the company, and directed by Rachel Lemon, you can sense the tender love (and lush creativity) that has gone into this work. We’re quickly bewitched by Anne, played by Norah Lopez Holden, singing to us gently in the dark, giggling to herself or throwing off her shoes in a wild dance. Masterful lighting, designed by Amy Daniels, gives us slices of light and windows through which to see faces, shadows, hands, and bodies, lit by a flood light, a sparkler, and a torch. This tenderness (and comedy) is spearheaded by Lydia Higman – onstage Historian, Composer and Lyricist, who underscores the story with gorgeous live instruments, and comedic narration. The music was created alongside the material of the show, and you can tell – and it shines through most in the stunning moments of collective folk singing. Lydia even plays the BANJO, which was truly inspired. 

There are points at which I am having too much fun, or the music is too overwhelming – and it detracts from the truth of Anne’s story. I’m not sure the balance between comedy and the exploration of the darker themes is quite right as the show goes on. At its core, Anne Gunter’s story should be about the collective histories of women and girls who have been killed, burnt, failed by the criminal system, sexualised, and abused by patriarchy. Who is believed and why? How have women been demonised or controlled across domestic settings, folklore, and history? There are moments when this disturbing ugliness and pain is almost explored – where the sheet is pulled down and revealed to us - but somehow the stakes aren’t quite high enough. I wish we had had longer to sit in this dread – to feel more strongly the sense of injustice. 

What Gunter does do, is highlight the very real, and forgotten story, of a young girl who controlled and abused – and all the women who have been called a witch, a slut, or a mad, bad woman. Throughout history, these women have been voiceless, killed and their stories erased, and I really commend Dirty Hare for GUNTER and sharing Anne’s story with us.

Gunter plays at the Royal Court, Jerwood Theatre Upstairs until April 25th

For tickets and information visit https://royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/gunter/

Photos by Alex Brenner