The Witches of Eastwick as presented by Ennis Musical Society

Ennis Musical Society 

The Witches of Eastwick 

Saturday 5th April 2025 

Twenty-five years ago, I was lucky enough to see the original production of ‘The Witches of Eastwick’ in London's West End, starring the wonderful Ian McShane in the role of Darryl Van Horne. I loved its very distinct comedic style, full of satire, wit, and racy innuendo. Ennis Musical Society were well tuned into this frequency as they produced their version in the fabulous Glór Theatre. It was quite the raunchy romp, often sailing unapologetically close to the wind. But what else could an audience expect when the devil himself is in town? With three leading ladies who delivered compelling performances and a self-proclaimed horny little devil, who was intent on having his wicked way with each of them, this was always going to be a little bit on the risqué side. 

An incredible effort had gone into decorating the foyer of the marvellous Glór Theatre in Ennis. This was a show in itself, as Eastwick-styled ladies, in pastel-coloured dresses, welcomed patrons in character. The foyer was a sight to behold with past programme covers on display and Eastwick-themed decor providing a very immersive experience as the audience arrived. This decor was even changed for the interval to reflect the increasingly dark turn of events set in motion by Darryl’s arrival. Front of house personnel changed costume for the interval, further reflecting the story’s chaos. An outstanding job from all. 

Sarah Kenny directed, presenting a very funny, slick, and highly entertaining production. She was blessed with three wonderful female performers in the central roles and elicited wonderful characterisations from them all. There were so many clever directorial touches 

throughout the show. Ms. Kenny understood the comedic style of this show and squeezed every last comic possibility out of its often-lewd humour. 

Shane Farrell conducted a very polished orchestra, which was exceptionally well balanced and very sensitive to underscoring, as required. Mr. Farrell and choral director Eilís O'Neill got a wonderful choral sound from the cast, which was well balanced and sensitive to the required dynamics. There was a stunning blend of voices whenever the three witches sang. ‘Make Him Mine’ was an incredible number with exceptional vocal work. There was a fabulous sound from the ensemble in ‘Dirty Laundry.’ A wonderful piece of musical direction and choral work all round. 

Laura Jane Allas choreographed. She pitched her routines very well, ensuring that they were within the abilities of the ensemble. ‘Eastwick Knows’ was appropriate in its style, with good formations and movement that was in keeping with the style of show. ‘I Love a Little Town’ featured well-rehearsed and synchronised movement from the large ensemble but it could have benefited from a little bit more confidence and performance levels, facially. I felt that they just needed to sell it more. ‘Dirty Laundry’ was an excellent number, again perfectly pitched for the abilities of the cast.

Isadora Killeen was an excellent Jane Smart. Ms. Killeen had a natural comedic flair which made her a standout performer as the uptight, dowdy teacher whose repressed sensuality is unleashed as Darryl's spell takes hold. She had a superbly expressive voice which was let loose in the brilliant ‘Waiting For the Music to Begin,’ in which she did a great job of miming the cello as she lost herself in the moment. 

Helen Ball had exceptionally good stage presence and was most comfortable in the role of Alexandra Spofford, Eastwick’s resident sculptor who also falls for Darryl’s supernatural charms. She had the most glorious, earthy vocal with a full alto sound and ‘The Eye of the Beholder’ was one of the musical highlights of the night. She too had excellent comic timing and brought great strength and self-assurance to the role. A fabulous portrayal. 

Olivia Parkinson played the shy, bookish Sukie Rougemont with a light comic touch that was pitched perfectly for the role. She was a great comedienne, with a superb voice and brought great humour to the role. ‘Words, Words, Words’ showcased her fantastic vocal and exceptionally good diction as she too was seduced by Darryl. 

Colm McGuinness played the mysterious Darryl Van Horne with a sparkle in his eye. Mr. McGuinness had very good comic timing. He was a strong performer but I felt that, at times, he needed some more ‘bad boy edginess’ to capture the darker elements of Darryl’s persona. He was very strong in ‘I Love a Little Town,’ with a wonderful baritone voice and very good presence. I loved his amorous advances towards Jennifer, which were so well played. Overall, a very good portrayal which I felt needed more of a knowing, devilish side. 

Sean McInerney was hilarious as Darryl's manservant Fidel. His appearance on roller skates, pushing a shopping trolley full of tennis balls, brought the house down. He had a very funny presence on stage and his final “Right then!” was utterly hilarious and brought the house down. 

Gillian Dunphy was superb in the role of resident battleaxe and busybody of Eastwick, Felicia Gabriel. She played the role of the town's self-appointed leader in a beautifully judged and irritating way. It was a very funny performance, which occasionally sailed close to the edge of being overplayed, but never once crossed the line. She sang so well in her rendition of ‘Evil,’ which was a musical highlight. I loved her coughing up the various objects, which was both hilarious and very well performed. 

Des Sullivan gave a very funny performance as Felicia's long-suffering, henpecked husband, Clyde Gabriel. Mr. Sullivan's wonderful facial expressions were very funny. At times he did need to watch his projection to make sure that he was heard but that was a small point and what was a very well-played role. His seeming pleasure in attacking Felicia with a golf club was both shocking and hilarious. 

Lily Christopher played Felicia and Clyde’s daughter Jennifer. Ms. Christopher was an excellent actress. She had a superb chemistry with Michael and sang beautifully in the wonderful duet ‘Something.’ 

Michael, Jennifer's love interest, was played by Feargal Kearney. This was a superb performance indeed, one of the standout performances of the night. Mr. Kearney understood the style of comedy and delivered every time. He had an excellent chemistry with Jennifer and he too sang so well in ‘Something.’

Holly May Vaughan delivered a very quirky, funny performance as the Little Girl who popped up every now and then as a narrator who didn't really narrate anything. Ms. Vaughan had a beautiful voice and did very well in all of her link pieces.. 

The ensemble was kept very busy from the opening ‘Eastwick Knows’ number. They were very focused and committed at all times. Their background business was always full of purpose and they were excellent in their most disciplined freezes on stage. They had very strong reactions during the wedding scene, in particular, and were clearly in tune with Ms. Kenny's vision for the show. 

Stage management was overseen by Lorcan McAuliffe and Brian Dowling. Everything was highly efficient, although, occasionally, crew members ran onto the stage in blackouts when they could have taken their time. It’s that fine line between determination to get something done efficiently and panic. They were responsible for some excellent special effects, such as books flying off shelves and the spinning cello. Both were unexpected and magical. It was a very busy show for a crew with lots of trucks coming on and off. At times, there was lots of traffic during scene changes but the crew coped very well indeed. The very impressive flying of the three witches was a triumph and the jets of smoke from above, during ‘Dance with the Devil,’ were very well timed. 

I was very impressed with the set. There were beautifully finished, pastel painted, two-storey houses on either side of the stage which framed the action. There were some obligatory white picket fences and I loved how they became black picket fences as chaos and anarchy descended upon Eastwick. There was great attention to detail in all of the superbly constructed trucks. The ground row of black houses, upstage, looked very well. The diner counter, which was very well dressed, looked great. The gravestones were a nice touch, as was the brilliantly designed church which exploded at the end of the wedding scene. All of this was tied together with some very well-chosen graphics which added depth to the set. 

This was an excellent lighting plot from start to finish. There was very good use of colour which perfectly complemented the pastel colour scheme of this idyllic New England town. Of course, when things got darker and more dramatic, this was suitably reflected in the lighting. There was great work spotting the three ladies during ‘Eastwick Knows.’ There were nice silhouettes during ‘Another Night at Darryl's’ and superb work in ‘Dance with the Devil,’ where lighting could really let rip to complement the chaos. There was great use of haze and low fog in the graveyard. 

There is little that I can say about the sound design for this show other than it was exceptional in its design and its operation. Balance across the board was excellent. The orchestra was mixed perfectly and the balance between the three witches, in particular, was sublime. Sound effects were appropriate and very well timed. EQ levels were excellent and all dialogue sounded warm and full. 

Props were very well chosen. With everything appearing appropriate to the era. The Eastwick Preservation Society banner looked great and there was good attention to detail with items like Sukie's typewriter, wooden tennis rackets, goblets, and the very well-dressed diner counter, with its napkins, mustard, and ketchup. Felicia's sofa was a suitably hideous creation. My apologies (and condolences!) to whoever owns it. 

Costumes were excellent and tied in very well with the director's overall vision, the pastel colour palette reflecting the idyllic Eastwick setting. Small town Eastwick contrasted brilliantly with the reds and blacks of Darryl and his witches as Darryl’s supernatural grip took hold of 

the town. There was great attention to detail throughout, with a really cohesive effort from all involved. Bravo to all. 

There was great work too in the hair and makeup department. All wigs used were appropriate and natural looking. Makeup was generally appropriate to the era. My only slight quibble was that in ‘Who's the Man,’ some of the girls wore bright, red lipstick whereas others didn't. It might have been good to have a more uniform look to this number. 

Ennis Musical Society's production of The Witches of Eastwick was a resounding success, thanks to a very strong production team, excellent technical presentation, and a very strong cast. It was a magical, seductive, and spellbinding production – devilishly good! Congratulations to all. 

Pat McElwain 

Gilbert Adjudicator 2024/2025

Photos by Darragh C Photography