Broomstick

by John Biguenet

In Broomstick, a witch confesses all: her first love affair, how she discovered her powers, how she has used them. A completely unsentimental moralist who knows everything about the human heart—having been both its victim and avenger all her long life—she metes out inexorable justice, immune to our pleas for mercy, cackling at our excuses.

“An arresting blend of evocative humor and eerie gravitas permeates...

In Broomstick, a witch confesses all: her first love affair, how she discovered her powers, how she has used them. A completely unsentimental moralist who knows everything about the human heart—having been both its victim and avenger all her long life—she metes out inexorable justice, immune to our pleas for mercy, cackling at our excuses.

“An arresting blend of evocative humor and eerie gravitas permeates ‘Broomstick,’ New Orleans playwright John Biguenet's ripely poetic tale of an Appalachian crone who may or may not be a witch. . . the merger of pathos, insight and horror is hair-raising. . . . Biguenet's text [has] an undulating rhythm that ebbs and flows like a rain-swelled river—[but] there's always another hairpin turn to Biguenet's narrative. Tightly woven, richly detailed and fully enjoyable.” –Los Angeles Times (An LA Times Critics’ Pick)

“Biguenet's play is lyrical, lush, and full of moments of sly humor and real pathos. The beauty of the language is something to behold.” –The Oregonian

“You can build a poem, or even a play, on a rhyming couplet. Stretched somewhere between speaking and singing, it’s also something of an incantation. Keep it going for ninety minutes nonstop, as John Biguenet’s play Broomstick does, and it’s a downright spell.” -Oregon Artswatch

“[The witch] can be very human and identifiable, as when she describes her first encounter with sex (beautifully written and portrayed), then can graphically recall witnessing the horror and callousness of the inhumanity of one person to another, to the pain of personal loss.” –All Things Performing Arts (Portland)

“Broomstick is a one-woman play in which a witch reminisces about her life. It moves seamlessly through fantasy and reality. . . a fascinating play.” – Broadway World (Portland)

“Using a cadence reminiscent of Shakespeare's rhymed couplets, Biguenet's words sing stories and poetry. 'Broomstick' provides an intriguing conversation about the nature of myth and the evolution of stories. . . Biguenet's text flows like words from a spell book, dark and brooding, hypnotic and expressive.” -Edge (Portland)

“Playwright John Biguenet’s engaging solo piece takes what looks like a light-weight premise and turns it into something rich and strange. . . . Biguenet’s play is written entirely in rhymed couplets, but they’re used so subtly and deftly that one only gradually realizes they are rhyming — and how the rhymes serve to bolster the sense of a fairy tale.” –Stage Raw Theater Reviews (Los Angeles)

“Playwright John Biguenet’s delightful monologue is a flat out delight. . . It’s hard to imagine a better show to see this Halloween Season.” –Stage and Cinema (Los Angeles)

"Wow! John Biguenet’s acclaimed solo play [is] a veritable theatrical event. . . It takes an extraordinary actor to hold an audience spellbound without aid of costars. Jenny O’Hara is just such an actor, and although we never see our solo star take actual flight astride her witch’s broom, Broomstick allows her to soar high indeed." –Stage Scene LA

“Written by John Biguenet, ‘Broomstick’ . . . is far more than a costume romp for Halloween, though. To put it simply: Every aspect of ‘Broomstick’ is truly magical.” –Annenberg Digital News (Los Angeles)

"For witches, the source of their power is language. . . The source of Biguenet's power is language as well. And O'Hara delivers it with just the right blend of anger, indignation, and sly humor. And it takes a while for the audience to discover that the dialogue is all in rhyme. . . It's a fascinating way to tell a story. –Santa Monica Daily Press

“Set in Appalachia and written entirely in verse, Biguenet's charming and mesmerizing solo play . . . takes off for about an hour and a half of sheer delight — a funny, poignant and ‘spell’ binding tale about the magic of the human heart.” –Broadway World (Los Angeles)

“This perfect Halloween treat offers quite a few tricks, tricks of the light, tricks of the mind and tricks of memory. . . [Biguenet’s] solo show, which is completely written in verse, is fascinating.” –Los Angeles Examiner

“Set in Appalachia and written entirely in rhymed iambic pentameter, Biguenet’s truly mesmerizing solo play [is] exotic, funny, harsh, bitter and profound. . . . Not to be missed under any condition!” –Gia on the Move

“To O’Hara’s credit, I didn’t realize Biguenet’s script was completely written in verse. The words simply flowed out of her wicked, twisted mouth. O’Hara essays the unnamed character “Witch.” What better character than a spell-casting sorceress to be talking in verse. Brilliant, Mr. Biguenet!” –Culture Spot LA

“To this remarkable play’s credit, the final result goes deeper than scaring its audience and eliciting a few heartfelt screams from the back row. Underlying the quintessential seasonal fun of Broomstick . . . is a surprising deeper message. Broomstick is guaranteed to provoke unexpected thought—as it keeps the viewer jumping at shadows and itching the nape of the neck long after final curtain.” –Arts in LA

“[Broomstick] is magnificent in every respect.” –Stage Happenings (Los Angeles)

“Biguenet has cast a deeper spell, and one that is uniquely enchanting. . . [He] has written the entire script in verse, rhyming couplets cast in iambic pentameter. . . the rhythms capturing the sound of a fairy tale, while remaining natural speech. That love of the language and Biguenet’s gift for spinning a good yarn by the fireplace makes ‘Broomstick’ one of the highlights of the fall season.” –New Orleans Times-Picayune

“‘Broomstick,’ the new play by celebrated playwright and novelist John Biguenet, is devilishly ambitious in its simplicity. . . spinning a yarn of terror and loss. . . a gripping tale to be told with the lights off. The playwright, gifted author of ‘Rising Water,’ manages the difficult juggling of story, texture and poetry. It’s his strongest theatrical effort to date.” –The New Orleans Advocate

“[Broomstick] is written in heroic couplets, but it takes a while to realize the subtle rhyme scheme, and the witch’s stories are poetic meditations on betrayal and revenge." –Gambit

“Don’t miss it—a wonderful play!” –WYES-TV

“A must-see, . . . John Biguenet's hit play, Broomstick, sweeps away the dust that lies on the path between fantasy and reality [and] is so seamless, its ninety minutes fly by.” –Broadway World (New Jersey)

“In this crafty one-person play about witchery, revenge and love. . . Biguenet has written a play in verse that will make you shiver as well as smile.” –CurtainUp

“’Broomstick’ doesn’t settle for just entertaining . . . the show shocks with moments of unexpected insight. . . .Biguenet’s writing [is] so skillful that you might not even realize the play was written in verse until you’re already fifteen or twenty minutes into it.” –TriCity News

“While the Bard had actor armies at his quill and his command, ‘Broomstick’ makes its music with a deft one-woman band . . . [and the play] dances in its rhythm.” –Asbury Park Press

“A triumph. . . Biguenet is a true writer and poet. One of the great joys in theatre-going is being able to be thrilled by the power and beauty of words. In its entirety, Broomstick is written in iambic pentameter, and the words tickle and delight the ear.” –Talkin’ Broadway

“’Broomstick,’ by John Biguenet, is a 90 minute monologue in rhyming couplets, although the rhymes are incorporated so smoothly into the rhythm of everyday speech that I did not realize until a little way into the play that I was listening to poetry. . . . This is a fantastic play.” –The Link News

"Written by John Biguenet, the play is masterful. . . . "Broomstick" is a clear winner for the season! Highly recommended!" -New Jersey Stage

“A wickedly funny play.” –Examiner (New Jersey)

"Broomstick will sweep you away!" –The Reading Life (WWNO-FM)

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Broomstick

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Tennessee Williams Literary Festival, Year 2012
  • Type Workshop, Organization Portland Stage, Year 2012
  • Type Reading, Organization Forum Reading Series of New Plays of Playwrights Theatre, Year 2012
  • Type Reading, Organization Stages Repertory Theatre, Year 2011

Production History

  • Type Professional, Organization The Storefront Theatre, Year 2018
  • Type Professional, Organization Bayou Playhouse, Year 2017
  • Type Professional, Organization Abbey Players Theatre, Year 2016
  • Type Professional, Organization Montana Repertory Theatre, Year 2014
  • Type Professional, Organization New Jersey Repertory Company, Year 2013

Awards

  • Outstanding Solo Production
    StageSceneLA Theatre Awards
    Winner
    2015
  • Best New Plays of 2014
    Gambit
    Selection
    2014
  • Best New Plays of 2014
    The Times-Picayune
    Selection
    2014
  • Los Angeles Times Critics’ Pick
    Los Angeles Times
    Selection
    2014