The Witches of Eastwick

Well, Shenfield Operatic Society…. just look at you! Last nights production of the Witches of Eastwick was a triumph and I felt I needed a quote from Darryl Van Horne to introduce this review. Allister Fudge-Smith’s vision for the show was spot on and everything was beautifully thought through. As director and choreographer, Allister set himself quite a challenge to take on the setting of this musical within the restrictions of a small theatre as well as the extra element of the magical scenes. The casting of the main characters was excellent and the audience could relax into the storyline knowing that we were in safe hands.

The three ladies entranced by Darryl Van Horne were so well chosen. Costumes were excellent throughout and I really liked the floral dresses that set the scene for a small-town fayre. Mind you the red outfits later on the show were stunning too, especially in Darryl’s bedroom. The storyline deals with three disillusioned women who conjure up their ideal man only to find that their strength lay within themselves all the time, especially when they worked together.

Alexandra Spofford was played by Louise Byrne and depicted the hippy, creative lady so well. Her voice was beautifully mezzo to blend with the other character’s soprano and alto lines. Jenny Draper was the cello playing, musical, Jane Smart. Her voice was smoothly mellow and, when harmonising with Alexandra and the third of the ladiesSukie Rougemount, played by Lauren Tidbury, the effect was spine tinglingly gorgeous! Lauren has an effortless soprano voice which was demonstrated in ‘I wish, I may’ and ‘Words Words Words’ which contained a huge number of words delivered at lightning pace. The vocal tone of these talented actors was beautifully balanced with a lovely restrained but poignant delivery. Many congratulations to Ian Southgate, the Musical Director, for working so wonderfully in producing these lovely songs. These three ladies were at the hub of the action especially when seduced by the handsome Darryl Van Horne, played by Ben Martins. Mind you, I think that most of the audience were mesmerised by Ben, with his James Bond looks and throw-away one-liner delivery, as well as his seductively twinkling expression. His exit into the red mist (was it hell or just another town to target?) was inevitable after being injured in such a difficult place, but not before he had the whole audience under his spell.

It was impossible to keep our eyes off these four actors as soon as they entered the stage especially when Darryl’s entrance was heralded by the line “well, look at you”!

The Little Girl was a beautiful way to reflect the way that the women thought their lives should have been and the young actress playing her on the night I was there had a wonderful voice and really touching delivery. My apologies but I am not sure which little girl I was seeing but Matilda Bradley and Elliana Wilkins were both credited in the programme, so many congratulations to whoever I saw.

The 8-piece band were absolutely great. The sound was fluent, well balanced and I loved the combined sound especially the brass section., What a treat to enjoy live music

I must just mention the rest of the cast, who threw themselves into their various parts as townsfolk, and it was so delightful to see every member of the society were involved in the show, not only as cast members, but also as carefully choreographed scene shifters and, heck, there was a lot of scenery to organise! From the triangular flats to the projection and cloths forming the background, it was all carefully organised and moved. Stage crew had to be ‘on the ball’ with this show and congratulations to the ‘arm’ that twirled the cello. No spoilers here but that was truly magical, as were the ladies flying into the starlit sky from a carpet of mist.

The script contained brilliantly funny one liners, my favourite being when identifying one of their married lovers to ‘making love to excited sauerkraut’. The cast certainly made the most of each one!

Kerry Cooke as Felicia Gabriel was the epitome of a bossy organiser and she developed this role through to her final scene during the song ‘Evil’. A great performance, Kerry, well done. All the cast were involved in the ‘Dirty Laundry ‘song and the reprise in the second act and showed what a talented group of people you are. You all had named parts in the programme and this was a great idea to give you a chance to identify your role withing the town.

 Michael Spofford and Jennifer Gabriel, played by Ethen Gorsuch-Browne and Bryony Colton respectively, were so cute as the teenaged bashful lovers and their song ‘Something’ was excellently timed and delivered.

Now, in any good production, there is always one extra role that absolutely steals the show. In this production it was Jon Keeler as Fidel. Mostly silent until the very end when he brought the house down with his exit line! Jon, you were fabulously funny without saying a word. To be able to hold an audience with a hard stare and sheer stage presence was amazing.

The lighting and sound were well designed and executed and certainly added to the mystical quality of the show.

Thank you so much Shenfield Operatic Society, and especially Allister Fudge-Smith, for a wonderful show that was thoroughly deserving of the standing ovation. You must be so proud of the result.

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