Alison Oliver and Leo Bill in Women, Beware the Devil [Marc Brenner]

WOMEN, Beware the Devil opens with the titular prince of darkness (Nathan Armarkwei-Laryea, complete with horns and tail) addressing the audience. He invites us to travel back in time to the 17th century, where women are hanged for witchcraft and civil war simmers in the background and threatens to erupt at any moment.

Lady Elizabeth (Lydia Leonard) is intent on protecting her house and family’s legacy. She’s keen for her brother Edward (Leo Bill) to produce an heir with his new wife Katherine (Ioanna Kimbook), but he’s more interested in eating well and bedding the maids.

Elizabeth enlists the help of stable girl Agnes (Alison Oliver), who the servants accuse of nefarious activities. Agnes is swiftly installed in the household and tries to help Katherine seduce her reluctant husband.

Instead, after entering into a pact with the devil, who has many faces (Armarkwei-Laryea also plays a witchfinder and an artist), Agnes, rather inexplicably, swaps roles with Katherine.

Managing to sexually satisfy Edward and feeding him his longed for “beef”, Agnes is soon calling the shots and Katherine is the downtrodden maid accused of being a witch.

It starts promisingly and Lulu Raczka’s script is pleasingly audacious but she overstuffs the plot – superstition, inherited wealth, class, misogyny, incest and civil war are just a few of her themes. Despite Rupert Goold’s assured staging and solid performances, the increasingly bizarre plot twists eventually derail the production.

Raczka employs several tropes from Jacobean tragedy and her play will likely appeal to fans of The Favourite and Bridgerton. For me, the main star of Women, Beware the Devil is Miriam Buether’s elegant set. It’s beautifully lit by Tim Lutkin and cleverly incorporates a four-poster bed and banquet table. Evie Gurney’s sumptuous costumes, and Adam Cork’s atmospheric score also impress.

until March 25
almeida.co.uk/