REVIEW: BELL, BOOK AND CANDLE at The Tabard Theatre 15 Feb – 11 Mar 2023

‘A rollicking take on a comedy classic’ ★★★★ 1/2

Alces Productions’ revival of John Van Druten’s classic Broadway play, Bell, Book and Candle, is a theatrical delight. What seems to begin as a simple romance when lonely witch Gillian Holroyd (Beth Burrows) casts a love spell on her upstairs lodger Anthony ‘Tony’ Henderson (Edward Hayes-Neary) soon spirals out of control to deliver a rollicking take on a comedy classic. Great fun throughout, the play delivers witty humour and snappy dialogue centered around a refreshingly retro portrayal of the supernatural, filled to the brim with excellent performances.

These performances build upon the surprisingly strong 1950’s aesthetic present in everything from the characters’ accents, turn of phrase and most notably in the eye-catching period costumes provided by Alice McNicholas, which all come together to lend the proceedings a distinct and natural flair. Additionally, director Mark Giesser has drawn on his cast’s natural talents to inject a sharp physicality into the action. Lovers leap into each other’s arms, a seducer drapes herself across her victim, a walking stick crashes down like a biblical hammer of justice; this is storytelling that the audience feels as much as it observes.

With these foundations in place the actors execute their roles brilliantly, the standout being Beth Burrows’ performance as wayward witch Gillian in search of love. With all the powers of a god but the failings of any lonely soul, she is alternatively the mastermind of elaborate schemes and their ultimate victim, sweet then vengeful, petty then idealistic. Gillian’s character is a constant tightrope between many emotional poles, and one that Burrows walks impeccably. Hayes-Neary matches her well as her spellbound lover, bringing much of the above-mentioned physicality to bear in thumping displays of intimacy that seal the passionate chemistry between the two that is central to the action of the play.

In all this they are backed by a highly entertaining supporting cast, with well-meaning academic Sidney Redlitch (Richard Lynson) notably providing the dramatic grounding for the two funniest scenes in the play as he’s unwittingly pulled into the chaos created by the supernatural machinations of other characters, all while Queenie and Nikki Holroyd (Gillian’s aunt and brother, played by Zoë Teverson and Daniel Breakwell respectively) egg it all on from behind.

The only dampener on the whole story comes at the end, which arrives a little too abruptly and a little too neatly, absent of the spark that animated much of the play up to that point. Perhaps held back by the script’s age, the two lovers quickly fall into each other’s arms and share an unexceptional happy ending. Not to be held back completely however, this production does manage to add its own little twist by hinting that Gillian has defied this rapid simplification of her character, as she remarks with the final line of the play: “I’m only human...ish.”

Photography: Charles Flint

BELL, BOOK AND CANDLE showing in Theatre At The Tabard, 15th February – 11th March 2023

Box office https://tabard.org.uk/whats-on/bell-book-and-candle/

Produced by Alces Productions

Written by John Van Druten

Director: Marc Giesser

Reviewed by Harry Conway

Harry studied Philosophy at Trinity College Dublin and now works in London as a Software Engineer. A budding playwright, Harry has been long-listed for multiple short-play competitions and hopes to stage a full-length work soon. Example of his work can be found on his personal website (https://meadeconway.github.io)