I was reminded today what an incredible privilege it is to go to the show over and over. When I first fell in love with the McKittrick, I only had the funds to go every few months, and so I relished reading recaps on Tumblr, living vicariously through others. I’m not sure if there are people out there reading this in a similar position, but I thought I’d post a recap of a recent show regardless.
As I enter the ballroom, I can see the faint outlines of the witches who are already off in their corners dancing. I make my way to my usual spot and watch as Marla’s Lady Macbeth takes to the floor. As the music changes and the performers come flooding in, I catch a sight of my first loop of the night – Jenna’s Sexy! She flits around the ballroom with such grace and quickly gets to work putting the partygoers (and audience) under her spell.
Her and Boy Witch (Daniel) make their way up the stairs, slowly, until suddenly they stop. They look at one another, a shove, and they both run up the stairs. In the dark hallway, she pushes him hard against the wall and shimmies down his body until she gets distracted by something through the door. A letter. For Banquo, who is not far behind.
She slyly hands him the letter then stands to the side, waiting for his reaction. He reads it then comes to her. She dodges his embrace and a game of cat and mouse begins. One moment she’s sitting on the couch, the next she’s gone, only to reappear from behind poor, confused Banquo and drape herself on him. She leaps around on the furniture, and flies with his help, toes perfectly pointed, through the room. When she tires of the game, she pushes him down and puts the final spell on him. Her eyes grow dark as she leaves to rejoin her fellow witch who is waiting for her in the phone booths. Together they beckon for the Porter, who approaches with great hesitation. As he comes within a few feet, Sexy leaves her phone booth and pushes him into Boy Witch’s trap. She lingers on the side for a moment before whooshing up the stairs.
In Paisley’s shop, she examines the jars before selecting a small, green sweet. She approaches the shop window and slowly scans the street until her eyes fall on Macduff, who stumbles into the shop. Just as in the ballroom, Macduff is helpless to her charms, and he soon leaves the shop, stunned, the sweet in his mouth. Sexy Witch studies him as he walks out of sight. She leaves the sweet shop, comes to me, and whisks me into Grace’s apartment.
Soon we reemerge in the back of the funeral parlor. Fulton (Colin) comes in to examine the dead body on his table. He gets on the table carefully and slowly tests each limb, when suddenly, Sexy’s eyes spring open and her hand rises, fingers curling. She grabs Fulton and throws him down on the table. His terror-stricken face does nothing to deter her, and she proceeds to toss him around the room before grabbing him by his necktie and pulling him out on to High Street where her coven is waiting.
The three witches make their way slowly down High Street, with the ghosts of the audience following as if in a trance. Sexy gets lifted high on the wall. Then, with a slam, the three take off down the dark hallway.
In the rep bar, Hecate (Mallory) is waiting for them, although she does not acknowledge their arrival. The thumping changes and Hecate releases a visceral scream. Bald Witch shrieks as she jumps onto a table. Hecate goes to her table in the corner as the three witches begin to dance around the room. A whisper between the two women, and they quickly jump on Boy and undress him. They bring his clothing to Hecate’s table, as he runs to the side and leaps over the bar. Macbeth (Joe) stumbles in, and approaches Bald, who ignores him, so he advances on Sexy. The two embrace and as he lifts her high into the air, the room goes black.
When the lights come flashing back on, the rave starts in earnest. Boy emerges from behind the bar, naked except for a large goat head covering his face. An offering is passed around, which leaves the witches with blood streaked around their mouths and dripping down their arms. Boy climbs on a table and Bald pours a goblet of red liquid down his chest. Macbeth approaches in a daze and embraces his torso. As he stumbles back, Sexy jumps on a table and lets out an earsplitting scream. The madness continues until suddenly, all is over. The three witches sit around a table, passing a small tree amongst themselves. Macbeth leaves, and as Bald and Boy go to Hecate, Sexy finds herself being pulled toward the bar. She crumples at the foot of it, before pulling herself up and over the large wooden structure. The soundscape changes as Sexy reemerges from behind the bar, and begins to dance on it. She gets thrown around and sucked back behind the bar numerous times, but each time she manages to struggle her way back up to the top. Eventually she manages to clear the bar completely, spinning around, hair wet, and flopping over and out onto the floor. She tries to crawl away, but Hecate, who has been lurking in the corner, quickly catches her and fixes her dress. A sound. Sexy’s eyes grow dark once again. She grabs her shoes and weakly runs out of the room. She stops in the hall and for once she is all human – a scared, wet mess, huddled on the floor. She puts on her shoes and then she senses something that makes her forget her fear and she whisks away down the stairs to join the banquet.
A slow supper, sliding trees, and up the stairs to a small dressing room. Sexy and Bald get cleaned up, occasionally looking with amusement at the onlookers.
The three witches convene for a toast, then, what’s that? They all look sharply to the side. Boy approaches an empty table, as the two female witches stand side by side. All three bend over the tables, arms extending forward, then up. Sexy and Bald rush to join Boy, and the three twirl around one another before returning to the table. Another toast, then they sit. And wait.
Their heads begin to turn as Macbeth saunters past, a smile on all their faces that doesn’t reach their eyes. As soon as he has cleared the table, they run to meet him at the lobby desk. They pass him around, each taking a turn to mess with him. Then, suddenly, Macbeth is alone, a playing card in his possession. He walks off, dazed, and the witches reappear. Sexy looks delighted as she runs away and up the steps to High Street.
On the street, she stops at Paisley Sweets to flirt with Fulton who has stopped by the shop for a bouquet. She quickly abandons him, however, and continues to the speakeasy at the end of the street. There the bartender pours her a glass of bubbly, but he won’t just let her drink it. That would be too easy. She plays along with his teasing, letting him think he is in control. She sits on the bar, and takes a sip, as he begins to kiss up her leg. She pushes him away, and flits to the pool table. He hurries over to her, and she jumps on his shoulder, and they twirl around the room. She hops off, back onto the pool table, and he joins her. The two slow dance, but as his hands creep down her back, she stops him and pushes him away. He presents her with a playing card, and sits on the edge of table. She stands between his legs, slips the playing card into the waist of his pants, and turns to me. She extends a hand and brings me to him. She gives him one last pitying look, laughs, and runs with me out onto the street.
She brings me in to the detective’s office, where she pushes me against the desk and puts my arm around her waist. The phone rings. It’s for me. A voice tells me to keep my hands off her, and as I try to lift my hand away, she holds it steady and laughs. She mimes for me to put down the receiver and we return to the street. In the spotlight she clasps both of my hands and examines my palms. Suddenly, speakeasy is approaching from the end of the street, playing card in hand. She quickly releases my hands and I take a step back as the two eye each other. In an instant, she turns and runs away giddily. She glides down the stairs to the ballroom, where she becomes somber once more. For a final time she rejoins her sister, and the two slowly circle around the room, before being joined by Boy. They come together for an embrace and fly off into the corners. I follow and soon she is spinning me around and having me spin her. Dizzy and feeling like a klutz, I am left standing in the corner. As she flits off to join the festivities, I head up the stairs for my next adventure.
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