![\"\"](\"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Peter-Warden-Nicky-Liz-Jahren-Gillian.jpg\")
<\/a>Peter Warden as Nicky, Liz Jahren as Gillian<\/p><\/div>\n
\u2018Tis the Season of the Witch<\/strong><\/h2>\nFive of the best comedic actors in the North Bay are all gathered in one small space to help usher in the season of pumpkins and hobgoblins with \u201cBell, Book and Candle\u201d, \u00a0a thoroughly enjoyable if uneven show presented by the Spreckels Theatre Company.<\/p>\n
English playwright John Van Druten<\/strong> was very successful in the 1930s with hit shows in the West End. His play \u201cBell, Book and Candle\u201d premiered on Broadway in 1950, starring Rex Harrison<\/strong> and Lilli Palmer<\/strong>. Van Druten is perhaps better known for 1951\u2019s \u201cI am a Camera\u201d which served as inspiration for the musical \u201cCabaret\u201d. Ultimately, \u201cBell, Book and Candle\u201d also served as inspiration \u2013 for the popular television series \u201cBewitched\u201d.<\/p>\nThe story: It\u2019s Christmastime in present-day New York City. Gillian, her brother Nicky and their Aunt Queenie form a quirky, crafty trio of witch-folk living the high life. They belong to an esoteric cult that hangs out at the underground Zodiac Club, casting spells but never seeming to get anywhere. Gillian is bored with her life and lack of romance, and decides on a vengeful whim to cast a love spell on her neighbor, a book publisher named Shep, with unintended consequences. One of his clients is an eccentric \u201cauthority\u201d on the occult named Sidney who, despite having written a few books on magic, has no clue as to what he\u2019s about to get into.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Larry-Summers-Shep-Mary-Gannon-Graham-Queenie-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Larry Williams as Shep, Mary Gannon Graham as Queenie<\/p><\/div>\n
Comedy powerhouse Liz Jahren<\/strong> plays Gillian as a barefoot goddess, although she\u2019s a little too grounded in the role. She could use a bit more of a lofty, ethereal quality to make more dramatic her fall to earth as she falls in love and loses her magic powers. The usually-goofy Larry Williams<\/strong> as the unsuspecting Shep plays it subdued, cool and conservative, just a normal guy trying to deal with his strange new lover. Peter Warden<\/strong> is reliably puckish in the role of Gillian\u2019s brother Nicky, another really fun-to-watch performance in his ever-growing repertoire. David Yen<\/strong> delivers an uninhibited, crazedly commanding performance as Sidney.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/David-Yen-Sidney-300x257.jpg\")
<\/a>David Yen as Sidney<\/p><\/div>\n
But it\u2019s really Mary Gannon Graham<\/strong> who seems to be having all the fun. When she takes the stage as the zany, Bohemian flower-child Queenie, you can\u2019t see anybody else up there. She\u2019s absolutely shameless, and why not? With her captivating stage presence and glorious bursts of song, she casts her enchantment over the audience like a magic shawl.<\/p>\nDirector Thomas Chapman<\/strong> adapted the 1950 script to a more modern setting, but some anachronistic references remain, which weaken the overall effect. He made interesting, though infrequent use of special lighting, flooding the stage with dazzling, spinning stars and other mystical effects. He was able to create simple staging, allowing the actors to move without upstaging each other. Even though the story is offbeat and wacky, the intimate space calls for just a bit more subtlety. \u00a0There is nothing subtle about Elizabeth Bazzano\u2019s<\/strong> set design, which turns Gillian\u2019s Greenwich Village apartment into something closely resembling a florid bordello.<\/p>\n
The story: It\u2019s Christmastime in present-day New York City. Gillian, her brother Nicky and their Aunt Queenie form a quirky, crafty trio of witch-folk living the high life. They belong to an esoteric cult that hangs out at the underground Zodiac Club, casting spells but never seeming to get anywhere. Gillian is bored with her life and lack of romance, and decides on a vengeful whim to cast a love spell on her neighbor, a book publisher named Shep, with unintended consequences. One of his clients is an eccentric \u201cauthority\u201d on the occult named Sidney who, despite having written a few books on magic, has no clue as to what he\u2019s about to get into.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Larry Williams as Shep, Mary Gannon Graham as Queenie<\/p><\/div>\n
Comedy powerhouse Liz Jahren<\/strong> plays Gillian as a barefoot goddess, although she\u2019s a little too grounded in the role. She could use a bit more of a lofty, ethereal quality to make more dramatic her fall to earth as she falls in love and loses her magic powers. The usually-goofy Larry Williams<\/strong> as the unsuspecting Shep plays it subdued, cool and conservative, just a normal guy trying to deal with his strange new lover. Peter Warden<\/strong> is reliably puckish in the role of Gillian\u2019s brother Nicky, another really fun-to-watch performance in his ever-growing repertoire. David Yen<\/strong> delivers an uninhibited, crazedly commanding performance as Sidney.<\/p>\n David Yen as Sidney<\/p><\/div>\n But it\u2019s really Mary Gannon Graham<\/strong> who seems to be having all the fun. When she takes the stage as the zany, Bohemian flower-child Queenie, you can\u2019t see anybody else up there. She\u2019s absolutely shameless, and why not? With her captivating stage presence and glorious bursts of song, she casts her enchantment over the audience like a magic shawl.<\/p>\n Director Thomas Chapman<\/strong> adapted the 1950 script to a more modern setting, but some anachronistic references remain, which weaken the overall effect. He made interesting, though infrequent use of special lighting, flooding the stage with dazzling, spinning stars and other mystical effects. He was able to create simple staging, allowing the actors to move without upstaging each other. Even though the story is offbeat and wacky, the intimate space calls for just a bit more subtlety. \u00a0There is nothing subtle about Elizabeth Bazzano\u2019s<\/strong> set design, which turns Gillian\u2019s Greenwich Village apartment into something closely resembling a florid bordello.<\/p>\n<\/a>