Dark of the Moon

by Howard Richardson, William Berney

As the tale unfolds, a witch boy tarries in a mountain community in love with a beautiful girl named Barbara Allen. The superstitious townspeople resent their happiness and their subsequent meddling ends in violence and tragedy. This play was proclaimed a Broadway hit.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Theatre, Fiction

82 pages, Paperback

First published January 5, 1972

Reviews

[Michael Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3-1/2 stars) This is a folkloric play, based on the old folk ballad "Barbara Allen," is set in a small Appalachian town and is about a "witch boy" who falls in love with a human girl, gives up his witchyness to become human so he can marry her, but sadness ensues anyway. The overall narrative is different and interesting, but the characters could stand to be fleshed out a bit more, as well as better defining of terms like "witch"and a clearer understanding of the supernatural "rules" that are followed. It would seem to have atmosphere to burn so I'm surprised it's never been adapted to film or TV. I've never seen it performed, but it has a awful lot of somewhat unrelated ballad and church singing in it. It also does not follow the story of the versions of Barbara Allen that I'm familiar with. Interesting.

[SmarterLilac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uplifting it's not, but what I love the most about this simple script is that with so few lines, it has the power and resonance of an ancient myth.

[Martin Denton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The play, written in 1945 by Howard Richardson and William Berney, is one of the curiosities of American drama: I just don't know of anything else quite like it in the canon. It takes place in the Great Smoky Mountains, and tells the story of a young woman named Barbara Allen and her tragic love for a witch-boy named John. Richardson and Berney present their singular tale straightforwardly: John asks a supernatural being called "Conjur Man" to turn him into a human so that he can marry Barbara; when Conjur Man refuses, John goes to Conjur Woman, who is only too happy to comply (though we know she has dark, mysterious motives).

Barbara lives in a remote, rural, Christian society, a place where the local preacher is delighted to share your moonshine with you so long as you show up in church on Sunday ready to hear him rail about fire and brimstone. Barbara has lots of boyfriends, and is in what we used to call "trouble," and so Mr. and Mrs. Allen are thrilled when John pops up out of nowhere to marry her (Mr. Allen tried to get Barbara's suitor Marvin Hudgens to take her off his hands, but Marvin offered him a mule to get out of the deal). Having been born a witch, John is unable to ever enter a church, which arouses the ire of Barbara's neighbors. Eventually, it becomes clear to everyone that John has "spelled" Barbara and, at a revival meeting, drastic measures are taken to save her soul.

Now, you could try to call Dark of the Moon a precursor to The Crucible and other postwar plays about "witch-hunting," but you'd run right up against a significant obstacle: John really is a witch. So there's no misplaced scapegoating happening here; this story simply is what it is, a tale of doomed romance set in a very specific time and place.

[Jeanne]

Rereading this play that was produced by a theatre company where I was employed as a performer and artist in residence for a year - long ago now.
I was double cast (as were most of the supporting characters in our production) as both a human and one of the witches. My own script was lent to a friend who never returned it, and finally after all these years, I bought a replacement copy and read it again.
Surprisingly moving, to me this is a piece about ignorance, prejudice, hypocrisy, and the tragic consequences of rigid thinking and fear of "the other". I am totally sure that it can be interpreted WAY differently, and probably would be by many.
A folk-tale, written partially in verse, and containing songs and hymns, with the music and lyrics included after the script. An intriguing play that I am glad I revisited.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely beautiful, brilliant, dark, and twisted stage play. The traditional Appalachian setting and the complexity of every character is truly a joy to see. I am entirely in love with this play and it is so wonderful to see a play that reveals character motivation without having to use a “it’s the end of the play so I have to make a monologue showing all I’ve learned and how I got there”. I highly recommend this play for thespians and others alike.

[Wide-Brim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic for a reason! It's a tall order to find rural Appalachian stories that give the characters with some kind of dignity. This book achieves that and then some but still manages to remain accessible while touching on universal themes of risk and loss.

The ending is so poetic, so unexpected, so sad. The kind of ending that will have you thinking about it while you're washing your hair. Good stuff.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never did get the dialect to fit right in my mouth, but loved the pacing. Maybe that's thanks to it being a fable. We ended up feeling like Barbara Allen had zero agency, so hm. The overall "take home" is still a bit of a head scratcher. Somebody suggested: "Don't date a witch." haha. I think it's more like, "Don't mess with the order of things." Witches stay witches and humans humans.

Totally makes sense that this will become a musical. I think this is what it is meant to be.

[David MMajor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little disappointed.

Many typographical errors. Story met expectations, came here by way of John Rechy memoir. Nice to picture young John as the lead. I recommend his book, About My Life and the Kept Woman.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as I was acting the character of Barbara Allan. It is a very dark tale with some quite shocking activities in the story. I did enjoy very much playing the character as she was very interesting.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not really sure how to rate a play, and I wouldn't have read it at all if not for the connection to Stranger Things. I definitely liked it more than I expected to, although it was short and not a lot happened. I can definitely see why some people read it as a queer allegory.

[Charlie Herndon]

Was not expecting how hard this went at certain points. Non-neutered theater that had that dawg in em. Would love to see a full-scale production at all the levels of dramatics, expenditure, and especially imaginative visionary design and directorial gusto that this blitzkrieg bonanza play deserves.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty nice. I can imagine it can be made very visually pleasing on the stage.

[Simon Gibson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let's take the one thing women had in this time period: witch craft... and make it about men.

[Al Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘It ain’t spiled. It jes’ ends sad. What matters is the sing in’, and it still a good song.’

simple and devastating

[Tyler Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean ill excuse a lot if it has Appalachian folklore and witchcraft

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beautiful rhythms of Appalachian language ripple through this tale of forbidden love. The strange and fey Witch Boy and beautiful, human Barbara Allen, meet and love and come to tragedy. Their story is rooted in mountain folklore and old beliefs. Their love is thwarted by the townsfolk who cannot accept the Witch Boy's eerie ways. The language is powerful, beautiful and poetic and the dramatic scenes are startling and stark. Folk songs and old hymns meander through the scenes giving a lyric, fantastic quality to the story.

I once had the intense pleasure of acting in this play. It was set in the round,close enough to the audience to hear them breathe. It was magic of a particularly potent kind. The experience has stayed fresh in my memory for forty years now. Rereading the script as a much older person transported me to that time when magic was real and lived in a much younger heart. I believe that most lovers of fantasy, folklore, American mountain music and great theater will love this play. Who doesn't need magic and music in their heart?

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an actor who performed the role of Barbara Allen this year I found some of the writing a little lazy. Some characters were in it simply for padding, some lines were said in a way that made me feel they just wanted to move the story along as fast as possible and some things happened that were just annoying in their obviousness that the writers were just to lazy to do anything else with the characters. As a read though it is a beautifully moving love story with themes and issues that can easily be applied to society today. I cried at the end of every performance against the actor playing John as I felt so deeply for Barbara and her story. Give it a read for the story and the humour you will not be disappointed in those aspects

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Smoky Mountains vernacular of the play can border on corny sometimes, but the tale is strange and powerful, particularly the second act and final scenes, as the characters and situation descend into a kind of frantic madness of rape, suicide, murder and enchantment. Gothic, bizarre, poetic, it's sort of a wonder that this play was not only on Broadway, but a success, and it's probably safe to say there's very little else like it out there in the American theater: hicksville meets Shakespeare meets Faust, with all the best aspects of those things smashed against each other in such a startling way that it makes up for what doesn't work with all that strangely, and unsettlingly, does.

[Elizabeth StClair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I loved this play. I LOVED this play. It has nearly all of the things I look for in a play: flirts, witches, a kiss scene. I so wish I could have been in the production my school put on a few years back. I would have wanted to be a witch. The accent is written into the lines, and takes a little while to get used to, but I loved it. I adored the Ballad of Barbara Allen.... I just loved this play. The ending, though. I won't say what happens (*spoilers*), but the ending! But I loved this. Five stars!

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I performed in a community production of this play sometime during my high school years. I was cast as the Dark Witch and absolutely loved this play.

It is a dark and shocking work with a strong supernatural twist.

[Angie Fehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite plays though I've never actually seen it performed on stage, I've only read the script (but I can imagine how cool it would be on stage!). I recommend this one to those who like Southern lit. with a a bit of a dark twist.

[Brian Sherwetic · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing dramatic play with great twists and an ending you'll not believe

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always found it hauntingly beautiful and tragic.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunting story of Barbara Allen

[Randi Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite plays. It is beautifully written almost like a folk song. This story/tale sticks with me still to this day. It is one of those folktales that withstands the test of time.

[Dan Blackley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This play is considered cursed. Not sure about that but it is one heck of a story. Appalachian Mountain folktale of witches and the small town it affects.

[Ron Law · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another reread. Love this play. Just reread it for at least the 10th time!

[Anne Thessen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thinking about auditioning....