The Witches of Eastwick by John Dempsey and Dana Prowe

The Witches of Eastwick by John Dempsey and Dana Prowe
Kwinana Theatre Workshop at the Koorliny Arts Centre, Kwinana, WA, April 1 to 17.

The tiny Kwinana Theatre workshop was an unusual choice for a relatively large musical, but first time director Brad Tudor made good use of the small space to create a show that looked very good.
The director’s simple set design was evocative of small town America, while his costume design, interpreted by Kath Hunter, used colour beautifully and had 1960s innocence as a starting point. The flying scene, which would have been an impediment to most productions, was staged beautifully using swings.
A fantastic support performance from Sharon Edsall was a highlight of the show. Her nasty Felicia was both evil and funny. It is sad that this was her last performance in WA.
I saw the show on a night when the theatre gods had conspired against the show, with two leading actors sidelined, Gill Binks suffering the clichéd broken leg and Adam Lebranski ill. Assistant to the Musical Director Merylena Selek, using an earpiece and director Brad Tudor stepped into the breach in a role to which he was unsuited. Despite their valiant efforts, the show had a slightly awkward feel that I feel may have been due to this interruption.
Nevertheless the remaining witches; Janine Bramall and Sinead O’Callaghan were working well. Peter ‘Pear’ Carr is an atypical leading man, but nevertheless inhabited the role well, while his offsider was played well by Peter Longbottom.
There were some lovely cameos, - too many to mention, but Atara Lebransky’s strange little girl was a standout.
Something different for Kwinana and good to see.
Kimberley Shaw

Image: Sinead O'Callaghan, Gill Binks, Janine Bramall

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