Synopsis
Themes
Scene by Scene Breakdown
Further Reading
Something Wicked This Way Comes
By Ray Bradbury
SYNOPSIS
Act 1
Set in small town America in the 1950s, Something Wicked This Way Comes tells the story of
Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade, two boys on the verge of their fourteenth birthdays. The
events centre on the arrival of Cooger and Dark’s Carnival in their small American town.
The play opens on a cloudy October 23rd. Will and Jim meet a Lightning Rod Salesman who
claims that a storm is coming their way. Throughout that same day, Will and Jim meet up with
townsfolk who also sense a foreboding in the air. We also meet Will’s father, Charles Halloway,
the local librarian, who contemplates his lost youth.
Later that night, Will and Jim discover a flier advertising the coming of "Cooger and Dark's
Pandemonium Shadow Show", a carnival with many wonders and delights. At 3am the boys
hear an old train rolling past their homes, and they follow it to watch the carnival being
assembled.
In the morning, Will and Jim head to the carnival. It appears to be an ordinary carnival — until
their teacher, Miss Foley, gets lost in the Mirror Maze, and claims that she saw a girl who also
appeared to be lost in the maze. The mystery surrounding the carnival deepens when, at sunset,
the boys meet Cooger and Mr Dark next to an apparently broken-down carousel. When the boys
hide to spy on them, they witness Cooger riding the carousel backwards, growing a year
younger with each revolution, until he becomes a twelve-year-old child.
The boys discover that the twelve-year-old Cooger is posing as Miss Foley's nephew and is
trying to trick her into riding the carousel. That night, Cooger invites Jim to ride the carousel with
him. Realising that he may be able to ride the carousel forwards and turn into an adult, Jim
accepts but Will stops him. The carousel spins madly forwards and, when it stops, Cooger is an
extremely old and withered man. The boys tell the police what happened, but Mr Dark convinces
them that Cooger's aging was an elaborate stunt.
During the night, the Dust Witch flies over the town in a balloon in search of the boys. Will takes
the initative and punctures her balloon with an arrow but the Dust Witch leaves a mark on the
roof of Jim's house. After the Dust Witch leaves, Will and Jim hastily wash the mark off.
Act 2
Aware that Mr Dark and his followers are seeking them out, Will and Jim hide from the carnival
in the town. Charles Halloway, watching the carnival parade, prevents Mr Dark and the Dust
Witch from finding them. After the parade leaves, Charles tells the boys to meet him in the
library.
When they meet, Charles explains his theory about the carnival. He says that the carnival was
created by Mr Dark to feed on the desires and unhappiness of people. Mr Dark entices people to
ride the carousel by exploiting their fear of death. When the newly young (and miserable) people
want to return back to their normal age, Mr Dark refuses and they are trapped in the carnival for
eternity.
In the middle of their discussion, Mr Dark arrives and tries to trick Charles into helping him in
exchange for becoming young again. When Charles refuses, Mr Dark goes in search of the
boys. The Dust Witch enters and tries to to kill Charles. She almost succeeds, but Charles
defeats her and the Dust Witch flees.
Charles chases after Mr Dark, who is leading the boys to the carnival. Jim narrowly escapes the
clutches of the carousel, and the boys and Charles defeat the carnival.
THEMES OF THE PLAY
There are three key themes to the play:

Good versus evil
At its most basic level, Something Wicked This Way Comes is a battle of good versus evil. Jim,
Will and Charles represent the forces of good and Mr Dark and the carnival are the forces of evil.
What sets Something Wicked This Way Comes apart from becoming a simple allegorical tale is
the fact that evil is presented in a way that is truly tempting and alluring for all the characters,
whether young or old.

The end of innocence versus lost youth
The play cleverly poses as a simple “rites of passage” story – Will and Jim are just about to turn
fourteen and the carousel offers a fast track into adulthood. But at a deeper level, the play
counterpoints the rites of passage elements with the desire of the adult characters – particularly
Charles Halloway – to be young again. This pushes the play away from a conventional coming
of age story and asks the audience to consider the irony regarding our obsession with age. On
one hand, young people cannot wait to grow up fast and experience the world of adulthood. On
the other hand, adults are obsessed with feeling and looking younger and regaining part of their
lost youth.

The nature of fear
Fear is the driving force of the narrative. It is represented in many ways – from the physical fear
of the Dust Witch to the psychological fear of death. By representing fear in different ways, and
by presenting the protagonists as being controlled by their fears, the play poses questions about
what fear may be and asserts the possibility that they can be conquered through belief and
understanding. Ultimately, the protagonists defeat Mr Dark and his carnival by refusing to allow
fear to have any further power over them.
SCENE BY SCENE BREAKDOWN
Scene 1: Prologue
The ensemble set the scene: it’s autumn, and nearly Hallowe’en. Jim and Will are introduced.
Jim is thirteen years, eleven months and twenty three days old, Will is one day older. The boys
are best friends and next door neighbours.
Scene 2: The Lightning Rod Salesman
A man selling lightning rods arrives. He predicts that Jim’s house will be struck by lightning and
gives Jim a lightning rod for free.
Scene 3: Putting up the lightning rod
Jim nails the lightning rod to the roof of his house.
Scene 4: The library
We meet Mr Halloway, Will’s father, at work in the library. Jim and Will arrive. We learn about the
difference between Jim and Will’s characters through the books they read – Jim’s books are
scary and dark and Will chooses an adventure.
Scene 5: Whispers of the carnival
Walking through the town, Jim and Will meet Mr Tetley, the cigar shop owner and Mr Crosetti
the barber. In the distance we hear the sound of a calliope and the townspeople smell the faint
smell of candy floss in the distance.
Scene 6: Introduction of the carnival
Mr Dark arrives and gives out handbills advertising “Cooger and Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow
Show” with attractions such as “The Illustrated Man”, “The Dust Witch” and “The Egyptian Mirror
Maze”. The townspeople are fascinated, only Will is sceptical.
Scene 7: Will’s house
Will goes home to his mother and father. His father, Mr Halloway, is reading a handbill, which he
crumples into his pocket when Will arrives. When Will asks him if he has seen one of the
handbills, Mr Halloway lies and says he hasn’t.
Scene 8: Mr Halloway’s regrets
Alone with his wife, Mr Halloway says that Will's youth makes him feel old.
Scene 9: Jim beckons the storm
The storm that has been brewing since the start of the play is sounding closer now. Jim decides
to take down the lightning rod to see what will happen.
Scene 10: The Most Beautiful Woman in the World
In the town the Lightning Rod Salesman is entranced by the Most Beautiful Woman in the World.
She tempts him to follow her to the carnival.
Scene 11: The train
We hear the sound of a train and Will and Jim appear at their bedroom windows. The train is
bringing the carnival to town. It’s 3am and Jim decides to go out to see more.
Scene 12: The birth of the carnival
The boys go to the carnival site and watch the carnival arrive. They enter the Mirror Maze.
Something is not right. Jim notices that he looks a year older in the mirror, and a year older
again in each mirror he looks into. Will closes his eyes and declares he wants to stay thirteen
forever.
Scene 13: Daytime at the carnival
It is the following morning and Will and Jim are at the carnival. It is a beautiful sunny day and the
carnival seems to be just an ordinary carnival. The boys’ school mistress, Miss Foley, arrives
and says she’s looking for her nephew Robert who had arrived unexpectedly. Despite Will trying
to persuade her not to, Miss Foley enters the Mirror Maze. Miss Foley becomes distraught when
she thinks she can see a lost little girl in the maze. Jim and Will pull her out of the maze.
Obviously upset by what she’s seen, Miss Foley goes home.
Scene 14: Jim enters the mirror maze
Jim enters the maze, Will tries to pull him out but Jim is intent on entering. He too becomes
distressed by what he sees and Will eventually succeeds in getting him out. They head home.
Scene 15: The Lightning Rod Salesman’s bag
On the way home the boys find the lightning rod salesman’s bag, but there is no sign of the
Lightning Rod Salesman. Jim decides to go back to the carnival to find him.
Scene 16: Mr Cooger and Mr Dark
The boys go to the carousel. There is a sign saying it’s out of order, but Jim gets on anyway. Mr
Cooger appears and is angry with the boys, but Mr Dark appears and is friendly towards them.
Mr Dark is the “Illustrated Man” and Jim is fascinated by his tattoos. When Mr Dark asks his
name, Jim lies. Mr Dark gives Jim a ticket for a free ride on the carousel when it is fixed.
Scene 17: The carousel
The boys hide and see Mr Cooger ride the carousel, but it runs backwards. With each turn
Cooger gets a year younger until he is a twelve year old boy. He gets off the carousel and runs
away. The boys follow him.
Scene 18: Following Robert
Jim and Will follow the young Cooger to Miss Foley’s house. They see him through a window in
Miss Foley’s house.
Scene 19: Miss Foley’s house
Jim rings Miss Foley’s doorbell. Miss Foley introduces the young Cooger as Robert, her nephew.
The boys decline an invitation to supper and they leave.
Scene 20: The jewellery box
Robert throws jewellery from Miss Foley's house out of a window and it is caught by the boys.
Miss Foley thinks the boys have stolen from her. The boys run after Robert.
Scene 21: Carousel goes forward
The boys arrive at the carnival to see Cooger on the carousel. It is running forwards and he is
getting older and older until he is transformed into a very old man. The boys think Cooger is
dead.
Scene 22: Mr Electrico
The boys bring a policeman to the carousel, but Cooger is gone. Mr Dark appears and invites
the boys and the policeman to witness a new act they are rehearsing. The “new act” seems to
be the old Cooger dead, in a chair. Mr Dark throws a switch and Cooger comes alive. Mr Dark
gives the boys more free passes and they run away, shocked.
Scene 23: The apology
At the Halloway house, Miss Foley is telling Mr Halloway what happened to her jewellery. Will
and Jim admit responsibility and apologise. Mr Halloway senses that they are not telling the
truth.
Scene 24: Halloway forgives the boys
Mr Halloway tells the boys that they won’t be punished any further and tells Jim to go home.
Scene 25: Father and son
Mr Halloway asks Will if he really stole anything from Miss Foley and he admits that he didn’t.
Will and his father talk about growing older and about death. It’s 1.30am, and they go to bed.
Scene 26: Battle with the Dust Witch
There is thunder and lightning. Jim climbs out of his window. Will hears him and comes to his
window. Suddenly they see the Dust Witch in the sky. Jim taunts her by waving and shouting.
The Dust Witches flies right over Jim and tries to grab him. Will rushes away and returns with a
bow and arrow. He shoots the Dust Witch down and she leaves, but has marked Jim’s house
with a silver trail. Will realises the mark is so Mr Dark can find the boys the next day, so tells Jim
to get the garden hose and wash the mark away.
ACT TWO
Scene 1: The little girl
The next day, it is raining. Will and Jim discover a little girl sitting alone in the rain, crying. To his
horror Will realises that the little girl is Miss Foley, but Jim refuses to believe him. Will speaks to
the girl and this confirms she is Miss Foley and she has been turned into a little girl by the
carousel. The boys hear the carnival approach so they hide and Miss Foley is grabbed by the
carnival freaks. Alarmed, the boys hide behind a grille under the pavement.
Scene 2: The carnival searches
Mr Dark arrives and questions Mr Halloway about Jim and Will. Mr Halloway says he doesn’t
know the boys but Mr Dark knows he is lying. The Dust Witch appears and can sense the
presence of the boys. Before she can discover the boys, Halloway chases her off by blowing
cigar smoke in her face. Mr Dark leaves. Mr Halloway tells the boys to stay in their hiding place
until nightfall and then meet him in the library.
Scene 3: Discoveries at the library
It is 7 o'clock in the evening. It is dark and Mr Halloway is in the library when Will and Jim burst
in. Mr Halloway shows the boys some old newspapers. There are advertisements that show that
Cooger and Dark's carnival has been touring every thirty or forty years since the mid-1800s. Mr
Halloway thinks that Cooger and Dark ride the Carousel backwards to keep them young and
travel around stealing souls and preying on the desires of the local people. They are discussing
how they can defeat the carnival when Mr Dark arrives. The boys hide.
Scene 4: Mr Dark in the library
Mr Dark drops his pretence of looking for the boys so they can take advantage of free rides and
threatens Halloway, telling him he has the power to kill him. Halloway threatens Mr Dark with a
copy of the Bible, but this does not scare Mr Dark and he rips the book in two. Dark tortures
Halloway by tempting him with regaining his lost youth. Halloway writhes in pain and collapses.
Will cries out at the sight of his father's pain which reveals to Mr Dark that they are hiding in the
library. Mr Dark searches for the boys and discovers them hiding amongst the books. Halloway
regains some strength and tries to hit out at Dark who grabs his hand and crushes it.
Scene 5: Dust Witch in the library
Mr Dark summons the Dust Witch to the library. One by one, the Dust Witch takes away the
boys' ability to see, hear and speak. They are frozen in a trance and Mr Dark leads them away
and out of the library. The Dust Witch turns on Halloway and starts to slow his heart until it stops.
Just as it looks like Halloway has lost the battle, he suddenly laughs. The laugh, coming out of
nowhere signifies joy and causes pain to the Dust Witch. Halloway continues to laugh and the
Dust Witch grows weaker until she panics and flees from the library. His strength regained,
Halloway heads to the carnival to rescue the boys.
Scene 6: The bullet trick
At the carnival Mr Dark is gathering a crowd to witness him perform the famous “bullet trick”. The
Dust Witch arrives and tells Mr Dark that Halloway is still alive. Mr Dark is furious. He asks the
crowd for a volunteer to take part in the bullet trick. Halloway volunteers. Mr Dark says he cannot
fire a rifle because his hand is broken. Halloway calls on Will to help him. The Dust Witch is lined
up as the target and Mr Dark gives Halloway the bullet and instructs him to mark it with his
initials. Instead of his initials, Halloway etches a smile on to the bullet. Mr Dark switches the
bullet for a wax bullet, Halloway notices and cuts a smile into the wax bullet as well. Halloway
aims at the Dust Witch and, before he shoots, he tells her and Mr Dark that he has etched his
smile on to the bullets. Halloway shoots and the Dust Witch collapses, defeated.
Scene 7: Destruction of the Mirror Maze
Halloway breaks Will out of his trance and they run to the mirror maze in the hope of finding Jim.
They both enter the maze and are terrified at the sight of images of Halloway as a very, very old
man. Will encourages his father to be strong and Halloway laughs at the images in the mirrors,
his laughter shatters the mirrors and the mirror maze is destroyed.
Scene 8: Saving Jim
The only place that Jim could be is the carousel, so Will and Halloway go there. They see the
carnival freaks carrying the body of the aged Cooger to the carousel and Will and Halloway
realise they are going to put him on the carousel to return him to his youth. Suddenly Jim
appears and leaps aboard the carousel. Will follows him and pulls him away to safety. Jim
collapses and it is not clear if he is dead or alive. Mr Dark arrives. Halloway tells Will to sing, and
the sound of his happy song causes Mr Dark pain. Halloway smiles at Mr Dark and hugs him
and finally says “I love you”, and the combination of happiness and love kills Mr Dark. When Mr
Dark dies, Jim regains consciousness and the carnival freaks run free.
Scene 9: Happy Ending
With Mr Dark and Cooger dead and the freaks released, the carnival has been defeated. The
boys and their father run into town. The three laugh together in the main street, they have
conquered the carnival and saved the town from the evils of Mr Dark.
THE END
WEBLINKS
www.bradburymedia.co.uk
A site containing lots of good facts, further reading and frequently asked questions.
www.raybradbury.com
This site feature video interviews with Ray Bradbury and a message board where fans ask
questions and keep up to date with news.
www.wiredforbooks.org/raybradbury/
Audio interviews with Ray Bradbury.
www.raybradburyonline.com
Excellent for bibliographical information.
www.spaceagecity.com/bradbury/bio.htm
More bibliographical information and a good short biography of Ray Bradbury.
FURTHER READING
The Bradbury Chronicles
by Sam Weller; William Morrow & Co, 2005
authorised biography
Ray Bradbury: The Life of Fiction
by Jonathan Eller and William Touponce; Kent State University Press, 2004
themed and bibliographic study
Conversations with Ray Bradbury
by Ray Bradbury and Steven Aggelis; University Press, Mississippi, 2004
interviews
(much of which is available online at: tinyurl.com/6ks8c7)
The Illustrated Bradbury: A Structuralist reading of Bradbury's The Illustrated Man
by James Anderson; Borgo Press, 1990
themed study
Ray Bradbury: A Critical Companion
by Robin Anne Reid; Greenwood Press, 2000
themed essays
Bradbury: An Illustrated Life
by Jerry Weist; HarperCollins, 2002
illustrations and visuals from Bradbury's work