Witch-Magic Can Be Funny

Throughout history witches have cast spells on stage. Evil or good - sometimes both - they possess a magic that mortal human beings can only imagine. In theatre, these timeless supernatural spirits have taken many shapes and forms. From the three witches in Shakespeare’s MacBeth to Glinda the Good Witch in Wicked, they brew powerful broths and predict the future.
What happens when things don’t go as planned; when a witch’s magic backfires?

This is what Playwright John Van Druten imagined when he wrote Bell, Book and Candle, a 1950 romantic comedy about a barefooted Greenwich Village witch who gets caught up in her own spells. Unlucky in love, Gillian Holroyd’s magic spins her world upside down and forces her to make choices about her desires and natural talents.

Bell, Book and Candle is coming to Rohnert Park Spreckels Performing Arts Center Sept. 19 through Oct. 12. Director Thomas Chapman recently sat down with me to talk about this Spreckels Theatre Company production.

Q: What kind of witch is Gillian?
A: She is a 2000 year old immortal. As a witch she has charge of Pyewacket, a 6000 year old Egyptian Bast (or Bastet) cat spirit as her familiar. The script has clues that lead us to believe anyone can do some witchcraft if taught. Gillian as a witch has control of a higher percentage of her brain power, more than normal humans that is...different genes to be born immortal and a witch.

Q: Witches are supernatural. In the world of folklore they are often very resourceful and capable of ‘doing things’ to others. What happens when a witch like Gillian tries to change others?
A. Gillian wasn’t very careful, which often the most powerful people are not. Her problems are really the ones of any person trying to manipulate another. She seems to be very thoughtful about cause and effect which has also given her even greater power. In this story it appears that she does very little of the bad things to others.

Q: The original 1950 play starred Rex Harrison, Lilli Palmer, Jean Adair and Larry Gates and was set entirely in one residence. The movie (James Stewart and Kim Novak) takes place in several locations. Is this production also set in only one location? If so, are there special directing challenges (and rewards)?
A. Yes, we are only in one location, Gillian’s Manhattan house. A bit disappointing for those who saw the movie. But our set helps the audience identify with how her mortal boyfriend feels trapped once he finds out she is a witch. It also conveys a witch’s lair feeling and I think that is a benefit.

Chapman, who has directed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Artists Repertory in Portland, the Sebastopol Shakespeare Festival, went on to say that Gillian is a global character. “She can change her look, her race, her color, throughout the centuries to blend in wherever she is living. In that sense she has been in all cultures throughout her long life.”

A playwright himself (Peaseblossom, Katinka, Ana of Amalfi, Iced at the Cocktail Hour, etc.) Chapman added that besides Gillian, his most favorite theatre witches are: the witch from Into the Woods, and the three in MacBeth.

For more details (tickets/show times) about the upcoming show: click here.

Photo by Eric Chazankin Gillian Holroyd played by Liz Jahren