A TALE of witchcraft isn’t what most people would consider to be a ‘Christmassy’ play.
Set in New York on Christmas Eve in the 1950s, ‘Bell, Book and Candle’ follows the antics of Gillian Holroyd, played by Gemma Galliers, a young witch who sets her sights on dashing publisher Shepherd Henderson (Dan Clarke), who is engaged to an old school rival of hers, Merle. In order to cause Misery to Merle, Gillian casts a love spell on Shepherd, with a little help from her familiar Pyewacket, making him fall madly in love with her, but when he discovers the truth about Gillian, her strange aunt Queeney (Wendy Huntley) and brother Nicky (Michael Beakhouse), all hell breaks loose.
Director Ben May said: “I’ve loved the play since seeing the film version when I was a child, and always wondered what it would look like up on stage, so when Woodley Theatre approached me to put on a show I jumped at the chance.
“Being November I thought the play fitted in really nicely with the time of year, we get the spooky elements of Hallowe’en, and of course the play is set at Christmas, so it sits nicely between the two.”
While the subject of the play may be the dark arts, Ben says it is still a comedy which he hopes everyone will enjoy.
He said: “The humour isn’t very black, it’s quite subtle which I have enjoyed directing. I am used to putting on farcical shows, shows with more slapstick humour, so this has been somewhat of a challenge, to get across the innuendos and the subtleties of the comedy.
“What has been really interesting is seeing what the cast bring to the performance. Little nuances and double entendres that the cast have spotted in the script that I didn’t even realise were there, it’s been great.”
Bell, Book and Candle opens on Tuesday, November 24 and runs until Saturday, 28 at The Oakwood Centre in Headley Road. General tickets are £10, £8 for concessions and £5 for balcony. Book online at www.woodleytheatre.org or call 07939 210121.