Billing
- Book and Lyrics by
- Music by
Based on the novel by John Updike and the Warner Bros. motion picture
Originally produced on the London Stage by Cameron Mackintosh
Requirements
(Local Producer)
by arrangement with CAMERON MACKINTOSH LTD
presents
"THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK"
A musical comedy by JOHN DEMPSEY and DANA P. ROWE
Based on the novel by JOHN UPDIKE and THE WARNER BROS. MOTION PICTURE
Book and Lyrics by JOHN DEMPSEY
Music by DANA P. ROWE
Translation by ( )
Orchestrations by William David Brohn
**(Any local creative team credits can be inserted here...)**
Original London production by Cameron Mackintosh
Note: 1. The names of the Authors shall be not in less size, style, and
prominence than that of Cameron Mackintosh Ltd as it appears above the title.
2. No names shall be larger or more prominent that the names of Authors.
3.Between ** and ** the names of members of the local creative team shall not
be in greater size than 80% the size of the name of Cameron Mackintosh Ltd as
it appears above the title.
Included Materials
Item | Quantity Included |
---|---|
LIBRETTO/VOCAL BOOK | 30 |
PIANO VOCAL SCORE | 2 |
Production Resources
Resource |
---|
HOW DOES THE SHOW GO ON-10/CS |
HOW DOES THE SHOW GO ON? |
REFERENCE RECORDING |
STANDARD ORCHESTRATION
Instrumentation | Doubling |
---|---|
BASS | |
DRUMS | |
FULL SCORE ACT 1 | |
FULL SCORE ACT 2 | |
GUITAR | |
KEYBOARD 1 | |
KEYBOARD 2 | |
REED 1 | |
REED 2 | |
TROMBONE | |
TRUMPET |
Show History
Show History
Inspiration
The Witches Of Eastwick, with a book and lyrics by John Dempsey and music by Dana P. Rowe, is based on the 1984 novel of the same name by John Updike. The novel was previously adapted into a film in 1987 starring Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Musical team Dempsey and Rowe, previously responsible for the musicals Zombie Prom and The Fix, came together once again to create the music. The original show was produced by Cameron Mackintosh, the famous producer responsible for smash hits Les Misrables, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, and Miss Saigon. He previously worked with the duo on The Fix.
Productions
The Witches Of Eastwick opened on July 18, 2000 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on the West End in London. However, after receiving mixed reviews, the creative team decided to transfer the production to the Prince of Wales Theatre. The show was restaged to fit the smaller, more intimate theatre, and ended up replacing its cast almost entirely after opening on March 23, 2001. Despite more positive reception for this second cast, the show only ran at the Prince of Wales until October 27 of the same year.
The musical had its American premiere at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, running in a limited engagement from June 5 to July 15, 2007. The creative team made large changes to the show; songs got shortened, cut, and added, and numbers were re-arranged in the order in the show. The changes from the American production carried over to a UK tour that ran from August 23, 2008 to May 9, 2009 after visiting 26 cities. More recently, the Watermill Theatre at the West Berkshire Playhouse put up a production from July 25 to September 14, 2013.
The Witches Of Eastwick has also received a significant amount of global play. The very first international production of the musical opened at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne, Australia on August 19, 2002, featuring numerous script and lyric changes; it only ran for three months before closing on November 17. A Russian production started running in Moscow on March 12, 2003, followed by a brief revival in 2007. Productions also opened in the Czech Republic and Brazil in 2007 and 2011, respectively.
Trivia
- The original West End production was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 2001.
- Celebrities that have starred in The Witches Of Eastwick include: Ian McShane (Daryll), Lucie Arnaz (Alexandra), Clarke Peters (Daryll), Sarah Lark (Little Girl), Earl Carpenter (Daryll), Maria Friedman (Sukie), Marc Kudisch (Daryll), Peter Jback (Michael), Joanna Riding (Jane), Scarlett Strallen (Mavis), Caroline Sheen (Jennifer), Paul McDermott (Daryll), Marina Prior (Jane), Christiane Noll (Jane), Emily Skinner (Alexandra), Sabrina Batshon (Little Girl), Jacquelyn Piro Donovan (Sukie), James Barbour (Daryll), and Carolee Carmello.
Critical Reaction
Critical Reaction
"Wickedly enjoyable. [& ] Dempsey's lyrics are exceptionally witty, and Rowe's music jaunty and tuneful, yet with the sophisticated sweep of a Sondheim." - TIME Magazine
"Lovingly propelled by a quirkily exuberant musical score by composer Dana P. Rowe that bursts with melody and musical wit." - The Stage
"Something out of the ordinary [& ] In every sense a truly magical show. Performed, written, composed, choreographed, designed and directed to within inches of perfection. It's the musical that starts the 21st century and will already be a hard act to follow." - International Herald Tribune
"Wicked fun [& ] Astonishing - the kind of beautiful, funny, glittery, joyfully stagey stuff that musical comedy dreams are made of." - The Washington Post
"[Marks] the return of musical comedy" - The Telegraph
"It's hard to imagine anyone failing to be impressed by the sheer pizazz of this production [& ] plenty of humor [& ] Musically, there's a nice blend of different styles and tempi." - The Good Review
"Outstanding [& ] by far and away the best musical revival to be staged out of town." - Jonathan Baz Reviews
"A truly exciting and enjoyable show." - Musical Theatre Review
"Very funny [& ] there are many memorable songs." - The Public Reviews