Schonell Theatre, St Lucia reviewed by
Sam Turk
"What Brisbane's Theatre Critics Have Said:" 
"...Entertaining and refreshingly naughty!"
- DAN EVANS (Scene Magazine)
"...Very warm, very powerful, very moving - just magic!
...Only a very brave person attempts to produce a new, little seen musical, even with good source material. But that attempt has certainly paid off for Turkish Delight Theatre Box and their production of the 'newish' musical comedy The Witches of Eastwick.
...It is very encouraging to see a new company like this, full of youthful talent, energy and enthusiasm offer up something fresh, that hasn't merely been recycled from the Rodgers & Hammerstein scrapbook.
...Do yourself a favour and show your support for some non-subsidised theatre - you will be pleasantly surprised, what an enjoyable experience a relatively new Broadway musical can be."
- PAUL DELLIT (A Little Gossip / Q News)
"...The 34 actors, plus a brilliant 14-piece band, pulled out all the stops and gave an amazing, energy filled performance that staggered me.
...It is a show on par with some million dollar plus productions I’ve seen at the Lyric – and the audience – including me – loved every minute. The singing and dancing were absolutely brilliant and the acting from the principals was just as good.
...American accents so good you didn’t even notice they had accents.
...Rachel Dunham (Alexandra), Louise Gavin (Jane) and Samantha Turk (Sukie) all had superb voices and when they sang as a trio it was pure magic. The harmonies were just brilliant. I couldn’t believe my ears at times how good they were.
...Dirk Hoult (Darryl Van Horne) is a star. He absolutely dominated the stage."
- ERIC SCOTT (Absolute Theatre Online)
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Schonell Theatre, St Lucia reviewed by
Sam Turk
"Very warm, very powerful, very moving - just magic"
MUSIC THEATRE REVIEW: BY PAUL DELLIT - THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK -
Turkish Delight Theatre Box and Starlight Musical Theatre present a musical comedy by John Dempsey and Dana P. Rowe. Producer: Samantha Turk. Director: Jack Bradford. Musical Director: James Dobinson. Choreographer: George Canham. Designer: Shane Rodwell. Lighting: Kym Brown, David Kiorgaard, Alexis Verdin. Sound: Rian Brooks-Kane. Cast: Samantha Turk, Louise Gavin, Rachel Dunham, Dirk Hoult, Julie Cotterell, Michael Balk, Adam Brunes, Chloe Musgrove, Elliott Marsh. Musical Numbers include: Eastwick Knows, I Love A Little Town, Dirty Laundry, I Wish I May, Another Night At Darryl's, Dance With The Devil. Running Time: 180 minutes inc. interval. Venue: Schonell Theatre, University of Queensland, St. Lucia. Opening Night: Queensland Premiere, Friday 6 April 2007. Top Ticket Price: $A35. Season: Playing until 5 May. Bookings: (07) 3393 2805
Only a very brave person attempts to produce a new, little seen musical, even with good source material. But that attempt has certainly paid off for Turkish Delight Theatre Box and their production of the 'newish' musical comedy The Witches of Eastwick, which opened in Brisbane on Good Friday. When one goes to the theatre on Good Friday it is usually to see the Passion Play, not a musical comedy about three Witches. It is very encouraging to see a new company like this, full of youthful talent, energy and enthusiasm offer up something fresh, that hasn't merely been recycled from the Rodgers & Hammerstein scrapbook. In the sleepy New England town of Eastwick where everyone knows everyone's dirty laundry, three (not-so-wicked) witches Alexandra, Sukie, and Jane are divorcees feeling trapped in their everyday humdrum lives. One stormy night, high on Martinis and brownies, they make a crazy wish - for a man to make their own. But their wish has consequences they could never have dreamed with the arrival of the mysterious Darryl Van Horne. Ok so it was a best selling novel by John Updike and a successful 1995 film, directed by George Miller (that starred Cher, Michelle Pfieffer and Susan Sarandon). But the musical has only had relatively short seasons in London's West End and in Melbourne - it is yet to make its Broadway debut. (Mind you it took Jekyll & Hyde almost ten years to finally make it to Broadway). Witches has a very funny book, exploding with some great one-liners and more sexual innuendo than Benny Hill. But if you have read the book and seen the movie, you know where it is going and that it needs to get there a little quicker (by 30 minutes). It isn't the fault of the plot, the characters or the songs. It isn't the fault of the Book either - it has plenty of laughs - no, hang on, it is the Book - it is simply far too long! But this is the fault of the musical's two male collaborators, composers John Dempsey and Dana P. Rowe.
Experienced Director Jack Bradford has assembled a mighty fine cast, and added his de …