Witches of EastwIck

The Witches of Eastwick was a 1984, book, a 1987 film and became a musical in 2000 and like 9 to 5 which was also a 1980’s film before transferring to the stage this century its narrative does seem routed in the Eighties with its sexualised themes and horrific wife battering scene presented in a comical context. Yet it does , like 9 to 5, provide three fabulous roles for the leading ladies of the story and a strong battle of the sexes with another horny devil who abuses his power.  MAOS is fortunate to have four Principals who can play and sing the roles in good Musical Comedy style that engages and amuses and sweeps over the darker theme.

This would be a tricky play to stage in a traditional Theatre with a decent budget but is a real challenge in a deconsecrated church on a shoestring budget. The show needs magic and illusion to really take off and this needs precise lighting and effective staging to create flying objects and people as the spells are cast. The compromises by MAOS were creative to deliver the required effects and made a virtue of the visible Ninja’s dressed in black who performed the illusions but understandably can never match the magic of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the West End which uses the same technique invisibly. 

Set in Black and White staging on the Chancel stage, the dashes of bright colours in the costumes focus us on the performances and the relationships between the central characters who work and sing well together. They establish their differences in personality, react appropriately to each other and contrast well their lonely lives after divorce with the excitement of Daryl’s arrival and the horror at his actions. The show is at its best when the three witches sing as a trio.

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