The Welkin, 26 May 2024

Set in the late 1700s, The Welkin uses a fantastic ensemble cast to assert that diversity among women has always existed, and that even in an era where women were not deemed worthy of knowing as much as men did, they had a striking intelligence and learned what they could in a hit or miss, trial by fire kind of way. The show tells the story of a young woman condemned to hang for the murder of a girl who claims that she cannot be hung because she is pregnant and the court would be murdering an innocent. The official court gets together an unofficial court of twelve women to determine whether or not the defendant, Sally (Haley Wong), is pregnant. The show is fraught with unexpected twists and turns that reveal connections between these women that complicate their ability to deliver a verdict.

One of the elements of The Welkin that I was most enamored with was that each ensemble member was distinct and remained in character as the whole group reacted to new information. I particularly enjoyed the queer coded woman, Mary (Susannah Perkins), the character who delivered profound truths, Ann (Jennifer Nikki Kidwell), and the outspoken Scottish woman, Kitty (Tilly Botsford), but they really all did a fantastic job. The lighting design (Stacey Derosier) was absolutely splendid, creating moments where the room shone with color and moments where the room looked lightless and devoid of it. The use of soft goods was particularly effective. The sound design (Palmmer Hefferan) was equally effective and powerful. One of my favorite moments was when the twelve women were all introduced and we’re creating percussive sounds with household equipment that started out together and then became less and less complicated as each woman took her oath and stepped away.

I’ve made it pretty far into this review without mentioning Sandra Oh, who plays midwife Elizabeth Luke. I’ve done this deliberately, because Sandra Oh fit into this cast like a glove, and all of the other cast members felt equally talented. She did not stand out as a celebrity in a room full of theatre people. Her performance was strikingly relevant and appropriate, and it did not feel like seeing a show with a celebrity and a bunch of supporting cast members. It was able to see her as a character only, and I’m glad that the Atlantic Theater Company is not selling this show as “the Sandra Oh Show”, because its power lies in the fact that it isn’t. It’s a show about thirteen women with distinct world-views that only come to light in moments that are between them. In rare moments with men, like when the doctor comes to examine the prisoner at the end, they shrink into one unit of women. There are some great, nuanced lines, including the gripe (paraphrased) that we know a lot about a comet circling the earth and nothing about women’s bodies.

Towards the end, we hear a beautiful, a Capella arrangement of “Manic Monday”, a nod to the fact that women’s concerns are dismissed as hysteria, even when women are actually ahead of their time. I appreciated the fiery spirits of the women in this show, their distinct characterizations and motivations, and the genuinely surprising twists and turns built into the writing of this story, including the mother killing her daughter and unborn granddaughter at the end after the daughter’s impassioned plea to die with dignity and not humiliated in front of the mob that wants to hang her. The Welkin did a fantastic job of raising questions about a woman’s right to choose, and how that issue applies to more than just aborting a baby– it applies to all avenues and pathways of life. Seeing a midwife kill an unborn baby was, in a way, the ultimate reflection of a woman’s ability to think for herself and not just follow the rules of her trade or the rules of her husband or the rules of her society. The Welkin is truly a meaningful, memorable theatrical experience, and I am sincerely hoping for a Broadway transfer.

The show was still in previews at the time of this review.

I did not attend this performance on a press pass.