It’s 17th-century Spain and King Carlos II has no heir. He’s dumb, ugly (and he ain’t got no alibi) and some say impotent. The kingdom is in chaos and everyone is vying for power. This is the setting of The Bewitched, a play written by Peter Barnes that is currently being shown at York University. I sat down with two of the actors to get their perspective on this absurd satire. When asked about getting into character, Sarah Jurgens and Jack Grinhouse had two very different ways of approaching their roles. Jurgens researched her character (Queen Anna de Neuberg) and put her own spin on it by psychoanalyzing this “strong and fierce woman.” Grinhouse, however, worked from the outside in. He said it was “an extraordinary process,” which included “cutting my hair into a certain shape, and a goatee, starting to work with the costume pieces, starting to find a character body – a physicality for it.”

The costumes in the play are “death couture” and have a “runway aspect” to them. As Tyra Banks would say, they’re “fierce.” But it’s not just the costumes that are getting praise from these two actors. “They’re doing a really amazing job with our makeup and the lighting to make us look sickly,” Jurgens said, gushing. She remarked on how everything is a reflection of the “decaying society” they’re living in. As you may have guessed, this isn’t your average period tragedy. This play wraps up a lot of issues into comedic conventions. “As the play delves into deeper areas, the playwright tends to make it funnier,” remarked Grinhouse. The Bewitched straddles the line between comedy and tragedy so well that Jurgens even admitted that “sometimes I feel conflicted when I’m in it, or watching it, because I’m not sure whether I should laugh or weep.” The two refer to it as a “layered play.”

 ‘Sometimes I feel conflicted when I’m in it [ . . . ] because I’m not sure whether I should laugh or weep’
—Sarah Jurgens, actor

The play’s subtlety reaches beyond the conventions of comedy and tragedy. As Grinhouse puts it, “There really isn’t a good guy and a bad guy [. . .] It’s not a good guy-bad guy situation; [it’s] two political factions that are fighting for power and control,” said Grinhouse. In fact, it’s up to the audience to interpret these characters and make a judgment. “Every single  character wants something really badly, and it’s clear what they want,” Grinhouse explained. The name of the play doesn’t refer to the ‘60s television show, although Grinhouse jokingly asserted, “If people will pay the money to come see the show thinking they’re going to see broomsticks, they’ll get what they’re paying for in another way altogether.” Rather, it refers to what the people of Spain think of King Carlos II. They believe him to be cursed, but what they’re really doing is making excuses for why their society is in such disarray. Grinhouse likens the charater to everyone’s favourite incestuous father-killer, Oedipus. “Everything is dying and decaying around him, but he’s too blind to see it.” This play, as they put it, is perfect for “anyone who’s ever loved Benny Hill or Monty Python.” So really, what are you waiting for? Get your butt down to Joseph G. Green Theatre to see this unique play. As Jurgens said, “There’s almost no way you can’t take anything from it – regardless of whether or not you like it.”

- The Bewitched is playing at the Joseph
G. Green Studio Theatre from April 21 until April 25. For tickets and showtimes, visit the box office or call 416-736-5888