Damsel/Wife/Witch
“Is that what you think happened between us? You rescued me and in return I let you into my bed? That’s the story? Hunter kills wolf, puts girl on horse, rides into the far, far away?”
Damsel/Wife/Witch (2015)
A music theatre piece in two acts | 80 minutes
Co-written with Richard Walls
Composed by Lewis Murphy
Two actors, mezzo soprano, piano
Commissioned by And So Forth
Song cycle premiere: Glyndebourne, October 2015
Full piece premiere: London, November 2015
She has brought him with her to explore her grandmother’s house, where she heard all of her childhood stories…
Damsel/Wife/Witch is a unique, provocative piece interweaving theatre with song to explore contemporary gender expectations through fairytale, as the protagonist begins to question her own narrative’s past, present and future.
Listen to the song cycle
As recorded by mezzo-soprano Marta Fontanals-Simmons and pianist Matthew Fletcher in the organ room at Glyndebourne.
“[Damsel/Wife/Witch] manages to tackle familiar yet complex issues in a creative way. The creators deliberately leave some parts up to the audience’s interpretation, encouraging reflection and debate over issues that, in fact, can only be appropriately confronted through open discussion – and by straying from pre-determined paths.”
– Sofia Lotto Persio, Cafe Babel
Photo: Marianne Chua