The Witches of Eastwick

Sounds Musical Theatre Company

The Witches of Eastwick

Performed at The Devonport Playhouse

As seen by Nina Jarram, NODA SW District 3 Representative on Thursday 5th June 2025

Directed and choreographed by Laura Pearce

Musical Direction by Phillip Simpson

We were introduced to Eastwick, the setting of this musical based upon the 1987 film of the same name, through a simple set depicting suburbia, yet lit in red thus suggesting that all may not be well here. Wonky fence posts lent in presenting us with a caricature instead of the usual naturalistic set, as a little girl with pure vocals and excellent storytelling opened the show with a huge amount of confidence bereft of her age. She beautifully sung the almost macabre melody indicating that Eastwick knows.

An enthusiastic ensemble resplendent in costume portraying all American goodness and innocence flooded the stage giving each cast member the opportunity to develop their own characterisation within this story and many pulled focus with their animated facial expressions and confident movements. There were some excellent cameos from three actors who led the company with strong vocals and choreography.

This colourful ensemble continued to competently support both the principals and the storyline with their charismatic animated interpretation of characters which they brought with consistent energy. Movements had been well drilled and I thought that the choreography portraying the power that was held over them as townsfolk by the leading man, was well constructed and translated creatively within the correct context. In general, the choreography was suitably differentiated to be accessed easily and competently by all. A particular mention to the four dancers who were able to respond more expertly to some more challenging movements and who pulled focus with their excellent stage presence, confidence and artistic fluidity to successfully transition from vanilla to spice!

The actors depicting the three ‘witches’ were strong performers and vocalists and were able to keep the audience engaged in the storyline whilst effectively delivering three totally juxtaposed characters in line with the outline of the story. The actor playing Suki had a great stutter demonstrating her insecurities which gradually disappeared as she developed in confidence through her blossoming relationship with Daryl. Alongside this well executed characterisation, she had strong vocals and was able to competently hold the beautiful harmonies with her other contemporaries.

The actor playing Jane also presented initially as a shy woman still emotionally affected by her divorce showing a lack of confidence and self-worth. Her experience as a performer shone when tackled with a challenging song whilst seemingly playing the cello. Both her bow strikes and her top note strikes were on point and we enjoyed the development of her character through higher heels, shorter skirts and a command of her newfound sexuality.

The actor playing Alex was meant to be the strongest personality of the three women and where the other three actors had somewhere to go with their growing sense of importance and assertion, I feel that Alex as a character could have presented as feistier and fiercer, as her new persona unfolded alongside the others. The actor was very grounded and confident and displayed some beautiful vocals, the tone of which worked particularly well in the harmonies in the trios.

It is easy in conversational dialogue to forget that each line needs to be punchy so that it is heard and there were places when the level of projection at these times meant that it was hard to hear what they were saying due to lack of volume and thoughtful pace.

Our love interest for these delightful yet frustrated women was Daryl Van Horne (DVH), a man who mysteriously enters the lives of these celibates pulling the metaphoric rug from under their feet and keeping them on their toes. This is a difficult role to play as the character needs to be played by a strong singer, actor and dancer with heaps of charisma and energy. Luckily for this company there was an actor who magically appeared to lift this role from the page and bring it to life. There were undertones of Jack Nicholson, who played DVH is the original film served up with a bit of Elvis and Danny Zuko to create the perfect potion. The actor’s delivery of lines was punchy and velvety and the females in the audiences fell in love with him as the male audience members hated him whilst secretly wanting to be him. Throw in a bit of dad dancing, an abundance of hair gel, a large dose of nonchalance, contempt, cockiness and waver less energy and we have a leading man who commanded the stage with every well thought out gesture and intense physicality.

The actor playing Michael was suitably geeky as the opposite of an all-American football player taking inspiration of Little Shop of Horrors Seymour and Rocky Horror Show’s Brad. He had great chemistry on stage with the actor playing Jennifer and their vocal complemented each other perfectly. They had fun with the total transformation of their characters as they too succumbed under the influence of Eastwick’s newest resident.

The actor playing Felicia was suitably overpowering and she executed the clever illusions of witchcraft with slight of hand perfection and timing as DVH and his witches cast spells over the town’s domineering and unlikeable matriarch. All her retching did not compromise her vocals and we enjoyed this almost pantomime-esque villain. In contrast, her husband was a mixture of a meek man, an alcoholic and a philanderer who was in an unbelievable relationship with Suki which was not made obvious enough due to a lack of physical interaction and chemistry. Due to the implausible plot, there was the opportunity for these characters to be portrayed with more deliberate exaggeration especially in the shadow of DVH, a huge caricature of a role.

The unusual sidekick of our ‘Devil’ was Fidel, a character who kept popping up in various guises wearing a collection of costumes chosen to keep us guessing as to his background, his nationality and his overall purpose. What was obvious however, was that the actor playing this vocal less role was a very experienced comic with hilarious facial expressions, excellent stage presence and the ability to make us laugh without in fact saying or doing anything of note. Superbly done!

The witches had been well drilled by the Musical Director to have learnt and produced such strong and beautifully owned harmonies. He also expertly commanded his show band in the orchestra pit as they produced the perfect sound to this montage of magical madness.

 Costume was imagined extremely well with DVH mirroring the personalities of his mistresses in his own attire. The ensemble was well informed in their twin set and pearls portraying a sensible, subdued and sexless society. Outfits chosen were cleverly attuned to the context and the mood and there was a subtle nod to Pride month in the Vicar’s rainbow stole.

Set was simple and at times changes were executed quite noisily which I expect would have ironed itself out as the week went on. Radio mics did not always pick up all of the dialogue though this doesn’t necessarily denounce the equipment or the operation. When a character is presenting as meek and shy, this must be conveyed through body language and facial expression so as not to compromise vocal dynamics. There were extremely distracting and blinding side lights either side of the stage which were rotating at regular intervals although I was unsure as to what relevance they had and what  artistic intent they brought to the production. Some of the more effective technical additions were projections during the songs; music notes for the cello scene, letters for the ’Words’ song and a clever reveal of DVH himself. There is also the danger of overdoing the haze effect which can hinder focus and deter from the action. The effect of the bubble machine during the number, ‘Dirty Laundry’ however was inspired and very effective, a lovely touch to the production.

This was a well-directed piece of theatre with an emphasis on physical comedy ably executed by an experienced cast. It had obviously been well rehearsed resulting in a confident and cleverly crafted portrayal of this underperformed musical. All the fictional stock characters were represented, from the heroines to the wicked parents, to the villain, magic was involved and a fairytale ending ensued. This montage of colourful dramatis personae leads them nicely into their next venture exploring the pantomime genre.

 

PLEASE NOTE: Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance and it is inevitable that his assessment will be affected by that knowledge.

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular the performance viewed.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances, and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre.

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.

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