Bell, Book and Candle. By John Van Druten, Directed by Mark Giesser. Now till 11th March 2023.
🍷🍷🍷🍷 🪄(4 glasses out of 5, PLUS a Magic Wand!)
Theatre At The Tabard, 2 Bath Road, London W4 1LW.
Beth Burrows and Edward Hayes-Neary (Photo Charles Flint)
The new regime at the Tabard Studio Theatre in Chiswick, West London has been in place for less than a year. Yet, they seem to have already developed the habit of finding unusual and quirky offerings to present. This little-known classic from the 1950s is no exception. Bell Book and Candle is a kind of RomCom with magic! Literally! A ‘friendly’ coven of witches lives in London and one of them, Gillian, (Beth Burrows) falls for a non-witch and wants to fit in by not practising witchcraft anymore.
This kind of leads to all sorts of problems and the plot needs a book of spells to keep on top of, but it’s a good-hearted, good-natured slice of fun and unique enough to demand a viewing. The costume, cast and set work perfectly, apart from the odd vocal weakness, and it’s easy to see why Sol Saks, the creator of the popular worldwide TV hit Bewitched, credits this play as his inspiration.
I have to say it… This play is magic!
Nick Hennegan's Bohemian Britain 