A dark musical comedy about witches has captivated Ukraine. Find out why

KIEV, Ukraine — Witches are on the rise in Ukraine. These creatures are both feared and revered, and are believed to have supernatural powers that can be used for good or evil. Over the centuries, witches have been blamed for everything that has happened to Ukrainians: droughts, floods, diseases – even falling in love and starting wars.

Now they are at the center of a dark musical comedy called The Witch of KonotopPerformances at the historic Ivan Franko Theater in the capital Kiev were sold out all summer.

Folklore brought to life

Based on a satirical tale by Ukrainian writer Hryhorii Kvitka-Osnovianenko from 1833, the story pokes fun at the tendency of Ukrainian literature to focus on sadness and tragedy. Set in the 17th century, it follows the main character Sabryocha, a Cossack leader, on his unsuccessful journey to eliminate witches whom he blames for his misfortunes.

During the one-and-a-half hour, fast-paced and witty production, the audience is treated to beautifully detailed Ukrainian folk costumes and breathtaking singing to traditional Ukrainian music.

There is rejection, there is love.

And of course there is a witch hunt.

Furthermore, in a twist that still resonates today, the main characters are ordered to take part in a military campaign to repel the all-powerful Tsarist Russia.

One game, many insights

Life under a sinister Russian threat is perhaps the play's most obvious theme, but a quick survey of the cast and audience at a recent performance reveals the production's true flexibility.

“Don't kill women, don't mess with women,” says actress Kateryna Artemenko, who plays one of the townswomen who is mistaken for a witch, speaking to NPR backstage before the show.

“No, of course this is not a joke,” says Artemenko. “The main message is that people try to outsmart their fate, but fate will find them.”

Actor Nasar Zadniprovskyi, who plays the ill-fated Cossack commander Zabryokha, sees this play as a lesson in avoiding responsibility. The two main characters avoid military exercises to avoid going to war, he says, and many people see this as a parallel to today's Ukrainian men who evade conscription.

Zadniprovskyi also attributes the popularity of the piece to the clips This has went viral on social media. Ukrainians from all walks of life have their say there.

Viewer Markian Halabala from Kyiv says his interest was only piqued when he heard about the buzz about the play online. He says it was difficult to get tickets because the play sold out so quickly. When he finally saw it, he felt the message was not to interfere with God's will – as Sabryocha does in the play when he asks a witch to cast a spell on a woman to make her fall in love with him even though she loves someone else. Halabala compares this to Russian President Vladimir Putin's attempt to interfere in Ukraine's path as an independent nation.

However, theatergoer Olha Vasylevshka from Kharkiv says that in her opinion the play is about love.

“If love is real, of course it doesn't need any outside help,” she says, laughing. “But if love isn't real, nothing can help, not even a witch.”

Sold out shows

Critics say the audience’s many interpretations The Witch of Konotop are just one reason for its great popularity.

Olena Kyrychenko-Povolocka, press secretary for the Ivan Franko Theater, told NPR that the production has filled the nearly 800-seat house at every performance this summer and she expects that success to continue. The play's dates are listed on the theater's website through mid-September.

Another reason for the popularity of the piece could be its references not only to Ukrainian folklore, but also to the real Ukrainian witch town of Konotop.

Shortly before the start of Russia's large-scale invasion in 2022 Video surfaced online of a woman shouting at a Russian soldier sitting on a tank.

“Do you even know where you are?” the woman screams in a croaking voice. “You're in Konotop – every second woman here is a witch.”

She further warns the soldier that he will never get an erection again.

The video went viral in Ukraine, not only because of the woman's defiant reaction, but also because the video was made by Konotop and Ukrainians immediately understood the allusion.

Since the Russian invasion, there has been a general push to celebrate Ukrainian culture and literature. Putin has repeatedly stated that victory would mean Ukraine losing not only its sovereignty but also its identity.

The renewed interest of Ukrainians in their own culture has brought them back to the theaters. Almost all of the country's functioning theaters have sold-out halls again, says Olha Baibak of the National Union of Theater Workers of Ukraine.

“There is a growing interest in theater across the country,” Baibak wrote in an email to NPR. “New audiences have come, people come to communicate, for therapy, to have some kind of experience.”

She says they also come to escape reality.

For actors, performances also offer an opportunity to escape their situation.

Actor Mykhailo Kukuyuk, who plays the main character Pistrjak's wily assistant, says it's sometimes difficult to block out the challenges and horrors of war outside the theater, but the acting role is an honor that reminds him of what he believes Ukrainians are fighting for.

“For the theater, for good-looking, beautiful women. It's the details, the sparks that make us come alive – that's hard to sum up in one sentence,” he says.

Polina Lytvynova contributed to this report from Kyiv.

Copyright: NPR