With Halloween drawing near, The Henegar Center has gotten into the spirit with The Witches of Eastwick in a Southeastern premiere of the dark, probing musical comedy.
The setting is 1964 in the fictional small town of Eastwick, Rhode Island. It's a tale of gossipy townspeople, religion, magic, sass and sex centering around three unhappy divorcees-- Alex, Sukie, and Jane-- in a town where everyone knows everyone's business. One evening over a heady brew of weak martinis and peanut butter brownies the three wish for “the man of their dreams.”
In a flash mysterious stranger Darryl Van Horne arrives in the coastal town and all hell breaks loose. One by one, the devil-like Van Horne seduces the women by nurturing their artistic talents and elicits newfound and wicked powers. Throughout the edgy, bawdy show the women keep stirring the cauldron, eventually delivering some very real evil on the village's big shot Felicia Gabriel.
Propelled by the witty lyrics of John Dempsey and exuberant musical score by Dana P. Rowe, the stage show is based on John Updike's best-selling 1984 book. When Updike wrote the novel he was living in Ipswich, Massachusetts, near the locale of infamous Salem witch trials of the 17th century. In 1987, Witches became a popular film starring Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Susan Sarandon and Cher.
The show first opened in London at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 2000. The Henegar is just the third community theatre in the U.S. to stage it, following shows in Alexandria, Va. (2007) and Maine (2014). Artistic Director Hank Rion obtained the rights to the play from Music Theatre International after his successful rendition of their Crybaby show two years ago.
"It's quite an honor, I've been tracking the show since it first opened," Rion relates. "They were hesitant to bring it to America. The (music) composers were always tinkering with it, never felt it was really done. Honestly, it's always harder to do a stage show once a popular film is out there. You open up yourself to comparison with a movie that many people loved."
Losing a week of rehearsals thanks to Hurricane Matthew, the opening was delayed a week. So kudos to Rion who delivers a musical comedy brimming with memorable characters, high-voltage energy and powerful musical numbers accented by satanic red lights and Brighid Reppert's quick changing set designs. Rion puts his stamp on the show by telling a darker tale, much like Updike's book.
"It's a great Halloween show, loads of fun," Rion says. "It's a story about three totally different women finding their voice, finding their power. Finding their strengths, getting past their weaknesses. It mirrors the women's lib movement of the 1960s. Speaking up to get what you want."
One of Rion's biggest challenges was mastering the special effects-- the actors flying across the stage -- that drew such acclaim in the movie version. He called upon D2 Flying Effects.
"There was a lot of problem-solving working with the tech team to pull it off," Rion explains. "How to hook the actors up, how to hide the wires. How to do it and make it look realistic. There's a lot of flying at the end of Act 1. We've got three actors up in the air, 10- 15 feet above the ground. We're very pleased with the work and instruction they've given us."
One of the highlights of the show is the impressive three-part harmonies among Alex (Beth McKenzie), Jane (MC Wouters) and Sukie (Sarabeth Dawson). Standout numbers include Waiting for the Music to Begin, Words, Words, Words,"Dirty Laundry and Another Night at Darryl's. Musical director and conductor Staci Cleveland has done fantastic work tying the numbers together.
"The music is beautifully written, but it's very tricky with all the different styles for the lead women," Rion says. "The women also need to play the cello and violin, and they're not musicians. So we needed to make sure it's believable."
Damon Dennin's performance is spot-on as Darryl, a lecherous womanizer. Sporting a seductive baritone and a glint in his eye, he nails the walk, the talk, the campy gestures and sexual innuendo. Dennin shines in the roof-raising "Dancin' with the Devil" snaking his way through Kim Cole's beautifully choreographed cast of townspeople, gyrating ferociously on a table top at the local diner. It's Dennin's third major role at the Henegar, performing previously in Big Fish and Hand of God.
It's a devilishly good time. There are more than 20 cast members in this sizzling production that is both ambitious and multi-layered, an empowering story of the three women's self-discovery.
"Find strength in yourself first," Rion explains. "There is a transformation and in the end they're completely different people, yet the same. The writing is so good, so strong for this transformation. I'm trying to provoke, make the audience think. If I've done that I've done my job."
The show runs Oct. 28- 29,8 p.m. and Oct. 29-30, 2 p.m.. Single tickets start at $26 for adults, $23 for students/seniors. Call 321.723.8698 or visit www.henegar.org. It is rated PG-13.