By Dale King
Were it not for playwright John Van Druten’s whimsical, witty, witch story, Bell, Book and Candle, our TV screens may never have had shows like Bewitched, Charmed or Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. Movie screens may have never seen the likes of Harry Potter’s world of wands and wizardry without a Van Druten connection.
In the very capable hands of Broadway-schooled director Michael Leeds, the 1951 romantic comedy is now playing to satisfied, late-season audiences at the Broward Stage Door Theatre. Snowbirds who’ve already headed north should regret they didn’t stay long enough to partake of this entertaining gem at the Coral Springs venue.
Leeds performs his own kind of magic with an excellent ensemble of actors who deftly and comfortably deliver Van Druten’s lines. The author directed the original Broadway production, but the show gained considerably more notoriety when it was made into a film in 1958 that starred Kim Novak, James Stewart, Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs and Elsa Lanchester.
As he helms Bell, Book and Candle, Leeds generally keeps the action fast and snappy. He avoids Halloween-esque touches, but doesn’t mind dipping into fantasy. Special effects — which can easily misfire during live shows — work perfectly.
Several plots are cooking up in this production’s cauldron. Gillian Holroyd (Melissa MacLeod Herion), a young, attractive witch living in New York City, desperately wants to meet her upstairs neighbor, Shepherd Henderson (Nicholas Wilder), as a potential love interest. She uses her powers to summon the mortal to her apartment where love does bloom — and Shep forgets all about his fiancée, Merle Kittridge. That suits Gillian since Merle was her archrival in college.
At the same time, famed author Sidney Redlitch (Ken Clement) appears on the scene. The writer known as much for his prose as his booze consumption is in New York to locate places where witches and warlocks hang out — for a new book. Gillian’s warlock brother, Nicky (Thomas Karner), gladly agrees to work with Redlitch on the project, to his sister’s chagrin. She is trying to keep her witchcraft and the witch culture quiet. This disagreement ignites a stinging rivalry between the siblings, one that threatens her relationship with Shep, a book publisher being courted by Redlitch.
Once she and Shep become a pair, she is overpowered by an ancient curse warning that witches who fall in love lose their magical powers. Gillian can no longer cast spells and her cat, Pyewacket, a witch’s familiar companion, deserts her. Her Aunt Queenie (Janet Weakley) and brother do not quite know how to relate to the new, “mortal” Gillian.
To make matters worse, the course of true love between Gil and Shep does not run smoothly. Unlike the kind and very understanding Darrin Stevens in Bewitched, Shep doesn’t buy the whole witch thing, and wants no part of it.
Bell, Book and Candle is the type of light entertainment that Broward Stage Door Theatre does well, and Leeds is twice-blessed with good actors and a talented stage crew. Michael McClain has designed a marvelously detailed set typical of a mid-20th century home. Plaudits also to Stage Door Scenic for set construction.
Herion portrays a clever, cunning Gillian with a combination of otherworldly sophistication and earthly naiveté. More believable when relating directly to other characters than while conjuring, she has an expressive face and an ability to use gestures meaningfully.
Wilder gives a solid performance as Henderson, the strait-laced book publisher. The actor displays a full range of talents, from stolid to ecstatic. His performance last year as the sullen, ex-lover of one of the sisters in Stage Door’s Crimes of the Heart is equally memorable.
Recipient of a coveted Carbonell Award and other honors, Clement’s portrayal of author Redlitch is funny and full-blown. The actor has a captivating flair.
Karner has the right looks and actions as Nicky Holroyd. With his red hair and beard and cocky manner, he is an exceptional foil to his big sister. His devil-may-care attitude is refreshing, though sometimes frustrating.
Weakley’s Aunt Queenie role is as daft and comic as Aunt Clara in Bewitched. She is a delightful excess of nervous energy and eyelash- fluttering, hand-waving stage mannerisms.
Pyewacket is played by a real cat named Wee Thomas whose loud, early Act I “meow” sounds a lot like an ad lib. She is said to have played to rave reviews in The Lieutenant of Inishmore at GableStage.
Bell, Book and Candle is being presented through June 21 at the Broward Stage Door Theatre, 8036 W. Sample Road, Coral Springs. For tickets, call 954-344-7765.