The Witches of Eastwick (musical)

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This article is about the musical adapted from the novel. For the novel, see The Witches of Eastwick.

The Witches of Eastwick is a 2000 musical based on the novel of the same name by John Updike. It opened on July 18, 2000 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (approximately 2,200 seats) and transferred on March 23, 2001 to the much smaller Prince of Wales Theatre (approximately 1,100 seats). The show gained generally favouable reviews and starred Ian McShane in the lead role of Darryl Van Horne with Maria Friedman, Lucie Arnaz and Joanna Riding at the three witches.

The show was adapted by John Dempsey and Dana P. Rowe and was produced by Cameron Mackintosh; this production ran for approximately eighteen months in London's West End closing prematurely on October 27, 2001, following a downturn in tourism, an after effect of the 9/11 attacks in New York. It has since been produced in Russia and Australia and has been released to 10 amateur theatre companies across the UK, beginning in Bristol in November 2005, with other performances in York, Sheffield and with the Ilkley UpStagers' Theatre Group in Ilkley. The show will next be performed at the ADC Theatre in Cambridge in June 2007 by The Cambridge Festival Players. It is also being done at the Theatre Royal, Brighton in July 2007 by the Brighton Theatre Group, by the Griffin Players in Luton in June 2007, and the ESNA Players in Loughborough and CAMUS productions in Camberley, Surrey in November 2007.

Eric Schaeffer, the produciton's original director, will stage the American Premiere in June of 2007,at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, where he is the Artistic Director. Marc Kudisch will star as Darryl Van Horne, with Jacquelyn Piro Donovan as Sukie Rougemont, Emily Skinner as Alexandra Spofford, and Christiane Noll as Jane Smart.

[edit] Plot synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The story, set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick, is based around the magical abilities and personal growth of the three female protagonists (the Witches Alexandra Spofford, Jane Smart, and Sukie Rougemont). Initially their power is minor, but expands to involve the summoning of a devil-like character Darryl Van Horne. The mysterious Darryl seduces each of the women in turn, teaching them how to further their powers and creating a scandal in the town. The women come to realise that Darryl is corrupting them and the town, and resolve to exile him from their lives.

The plot and characters of the musical differs in several ways to the film and noticeably from the book.

Act One opens with a little girl singing the praises of her little town of Eastwick, Rhode Island (Eastwick Knows). She is quickly interrupted and overpowered by the rest of its inhabitants who describe Eastwick as a town where everyone looks through their curtains at everyone else and where gossip is more powerful than the truth. A forced parade led by, organising and honouring self appointed First Lady of Eastwick, Felicia Gabriel overtakes proceedings but as she is about to receive her prize a freak thunderstorm forces everyone to run home.

Alexandra, Jane and Sukie, the three Witches, have retreated to Alex’s living room for peanut butter brownies, martinis and a bitch. They talk about their boredom with their current relationships which include casual sex, abstinence and Sukie’s affair with Felicia’s husband, Clyde. Alex’s son, Michael, enters with his girlfriend, Jennifer, who also happens to be Felicia’s daughter. The teenagers are disgustingly in love with each other and the Witches, seeing how happy they are, sing about the kind of man they would like in their lives (Make Him Mine).

In Felicia’s kitchen, we see how unhappy Felicia and Clyde truly are and how Felicia is determined to keep her public face on their relationship. The phone rings and we discover a man from New York has arrived and bought the deserted Lenox Mansion and is tearing down the trees in his backyard. Felicia, being the considerate soul she is, thinks of the snowy egrets that will lose their homes and decides to rally the town to stop him. Arriving at Lenox Mansion, Darryl Van Horne emerges from a puff of smoke and begins to charm all the residents except Felicia. (I Love A Little Town). The ‘Eastwick Preservation Society’ banner explodes in a fireball and everyone flees.

Darryl meets Alexandra on the beach where she is sculpting in the sand. Embarrassed, she allows Darryl to take her back to his house. They discuss sculpture and Darryl begins his seduction (Eye of the Beholder). Gossip begins to work its way round the town and Darryl goes to Jane’s studio where she is playing the cello. They discuss music and have a wild and sexual cello/violin duet which ends in the cello playing by itself and a massive musical and actual orgasm! (Waiting For The Music To Begin).

Clyde promises Sukie that he will leave Felicia but she enters with Jennifer and catches the two of them. Their excuse is that they're preparing research on Darryl and Lenox Mansion. And speak of the Devil (and we are!), when Sukie returns home Darryl is waiting for her. Darryl gets Sukie to break out of her introverted shell and talk to him (Words, Words, Words). Instead of sleeping with her, he invites to a tennis game. It’s only when Sukie arrives and sees Alex and Jane that all three realise that Darryl’s been sleeping with all of them. He serves a ball which explodes in mid-air and says that he’s the man they prayed for.

Michael and Jennifer meet up and sing their puppy-love duet (Something) whilst the rest of the town meet to do laundry and gossip about Darryl and his conquests (Dirty Laundry). During the number, Felicia discovers Jennifer kissing Michael to her horror and immediately sends her away from Eastwick.

Alex, Jane and Sukie enter, each wearing a stunning sexy dress singing about their childhood insecurities (I Wish I May). Darryl sweet talks the women and teaches them how to curse Felicia by throwing things into an enchanted cookie jar. They throw a tennis ball, a bracelet and some feathers into the jar and immediately, on the other side of the stage, Felicia starts to throw up…a tennis ball, a bracelet and some feathers…. Enchanted, the Witches turn to Darryl who tells them to close their eyes and suddenly they are flying high above the audience.

Act Two opens with Darryl inviting Alex to Mexican Night at his house and and she reflects on her single-minded persuit (Another Night At Darryl’s). At Nemo’s Diner, Darryl bumps into Felicia and Clyde. He taunts her and she vomits a cherry pit. Seeing that Eastwick’s men have no idea how to please their women Darryl teaches the town about how to have real sex (Dance With The Devil).

The Witches go to Darryl’s in coats and take them off to reveal matching lingerie. Just as they are about to have sex, Darryl’s manservant, Fidel, delivers a letter from The Eastwick Preservation Society that says they are suing him for filling in the wetlands. In revenge, all four start throwing anything they can find into the cookie jar. In Felicia’s kitchen, we see the result as she screams at the still bewitched Clyde. (Evil). Eventually, she can no longer with cope with the curse and tells Clyde to do something so he hits her with a frying pan. Suddenly free of Felicia he shouts that he’s finally happy. However, with her dying breath, Felicia pulls Clyde’s tie into the waster disposal unit and turns it on.

The Witches start to avoid Darryl. When they return to Lenox Mansion, they tell Darryl that he has taken it too far. Furious, he screams at them but they run away and Darryl swears revenge. On the beach, Sukie bumps into the now orphaned Jennifer. She tries to offer advice but can’t find the words. Darryl enters once Sukie leaves and begins to seduce Jennifer. He tricks her into marrying him and this news prompts the Witches to send Darryl back where he belongs.

As he prepares for the wedding, Darryl sings about how fantastic it is to be a man and the town join in extolling his virtues (The Glory Of Me). The wedding begins but the Witches appear and, using a voodoo doll of Darryl they begin attacking him (The Wedding). Vowing revenge, Darryl is thrown back to Hell in a fireball and the church collapses. Michael and Jennifer are reunited (Something Reprise) and the Witches realise the error of their ways (Look At Me).