Review: BECKY NURSE OF SALEM at PYGmalion Productions Theatre Company
A fiery exhibit of generational pain and the continued effects of historical tragedy.
PYGmalion’s Becky Nurse of Salem is a fiery exhibit of generational pain and how history still affects the present no matter how progressive things feel.
Written by Sarah Ruhl and directed by Morag Shepherd, the play follows a local witch museum tour guide in Salem, Becky Nurse, who is the modern-day descendant of accused witch Rebecca Nurse. Becky, experiencing what seems like continued bad luck, eventually consults a witch to help her navigate job loss, family, love, and chronic pain – both manifested physically and historically as this contemporary story explores the legacy and burdens of misogyny and supposed witchcraft.
Teresa Sandersons’s Becky is fierce and funny, scene-stealing with her unfiltered thoughts and even more unfiltered mouth. Her scenes with Gail (Lily Hilden), her granddaughter, were touching in their own way, with Becky trying to guide her through a rocky mental health journey and first love woes much like how she guides school groups through the museum: with a hyperawareness of the fact that past trials inform the present, especially for women. This is particularly evident in the pain both Gail and Becky carry from a family loss due to substance abuse and how it plays out in their relationships, careers, and health.
Other notable performances include McKell Petersen’s Stan, an eyeliner-wearing 17-year-old who falls for and tries to take care of Gail. Petersen captures the aloofness of a high school boy and wins over the audience and characters using humor and a surprising level of understanding and awareness for a teenager. Reb Fleming’s Witch, David Hanson’s Bob, Hilden’s Gail, Whitney Black’s Shelby, and Bryce Fueston’s Jailer also have shining moments that greatly affect Becky’s choices as the story plays out.
There were some moments that felt disjointed or a little too unconventional in terms of choreography, set design, and direction, but ultimately the story laid bare an important message: women continue to face many trials, and they deserve to voice their own stories.
Becky Nurse of Salem runs through February 21, 2026 in the Black Box at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. For tickets, call 801-355-2787 or visit www.saltlakecountyarts.org.
Photo credit: Robert Holman
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