Surrey

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-Hero-image.jpg" alt="The Witches of Eastwick on stage at Hurtwood House in Surrey." class="wp-image-57714" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-Hero-image.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-Hero-image-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-Hero-image-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-Hero-image-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-Hero-image-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Take a group of talented Sixth Form students and a smattering of West End pros. Add the story of three bored New England housewives and a hot-to-trot devil, then pop it all into a giant cauldron and give it a stir. Add a little sugar and a lot of spice. And poof! 



What you get is a wickedly funny and little-bit-naughty musical comedy that wouldn&#8217;t look out of place on a West End stage.



This is what they do at <a href="https://surrey.muddystilettos.co.uk/school-reviews/hurtwood-house-dorking/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hurtwood House</a> school. But then, this is no ordinary school. Known for it&#8217;s performing arts offering, and billed as &#8216;the most exciting school in England&#8217;, this production embodies everything that Hurtwood House is about. 



It&#8217;s slick and polished &#8211; a triumph! &#8211; and a massive credit to all involved.



Let&#8217;s not forget these actors are students. In a few months many of them will sit their final A Level exams. When I take a moment to let that sink in, I&#8217;m truly blown away. How on earth do they find time to revise AND learn their lines?



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-playful-juicy-and-a-little-raunchy">Playful, juicy and a little raunchy</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-1.jpg" alt="The Witches of Eastwick on stage at Hurtwood House in Surrey." class="wp-image-57708" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-1.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-1-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-1-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-1-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



The Witches of Eastwick, based on the 1984 John Updike novel of the same name, is an upbeat dark-comedy fantasy about three dissatisfied women from the fictional and gossipy town of Eastwick. The trio &#8211; aka the witches &#8211; get together over a martini and inadvertently summon their supposed dream man.



Step forward Darryl van Horne &#8211; a devilish figure who embodies all of their sexual fantasies. Max O&#8217;Connor takes on the role &#8211; and boy does he do it justice. It&#8217;s a plum role &#8211; playful, juicy and a little raunchy. O&#8217;Connor nails it &#8211; he&#8217;s subtle with the sexual suggestion, innately charming and his comic timing is impeccable. I&#8217;m not sure I&#8217;m really supposed to like the character &#8211; and yet for some reason I do.



The witches &#8211; Freya Davies as the artistic Alexandra, Zahara Burfield as the shy musician Jane, and Martina Cabral-Tero as the stuttering journalist Suki &#8211; embody the objects of his desire with the required mixture of innocence, wit and allure. 



They lead the cast well with their bewitching talents &#8211; and their bond on stage as a trio is authentic and believable. But let&#8217;s talk vocals &#8211; these girls can sing. They&#8217;re bold, powerful and emotionally right on cue. 



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-joy-to-watch">A joy to watch</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="2250" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-2.jpg" alt="The Witches of Eastwick on stage at Hurtwood House in Surrey." class="wp-image-57709" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-2.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-2-533x800.jpg 533w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-2-667x1000.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-2-267x400.jpg 267w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-2-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-2-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Bella Bonnell delivers a show-stopping performance as town busy body Felicia Gabriel. She&#8217;s a joy to watch, nailing the comic moments and singing her lungs out. The scenes where Felicia is coughing up strange objects is particularly well acted. It&#8217;s very believable.



Honourable mentions also go to Natalia Tafur and Ella Keller as the oddly disturbing Little Girls, and to Harvey Jelley and Tana Baier-Hadsbjerg as Darryl&#8217;s sexy servants. Oscar Davies as Alex&#8217;s son Michael, and Lara Mirmak as Felicia&#8217;s daughter Jennifer are also excellent. Lara is particularly strong on vocals.



Directed by Doug Quinn and Andy Johnson, the show also includes a large ensemble &#8211; in total there&#8217;s a cast of 86. It baffles me how they all fit on the stage. There&#8217;s a live band, positioned out-of-view at the back of the stage. 



The theatre at Hurtwood House is an intimate affair, and the simple yet clever set designs make the most of the space and transport audiences easily to this New England town.



Costumes by Elizabeth Poulter were colourful and cute. And the sight of the three witches floating high above the stage is memorable. 



Ultimately,&nbsp;The Witches of Eastwick&nbsp;is a fun and engaging story about desire, letting go and finding yourself. The production at Hurtwood House is polished, authentic and believable. Bravo!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="2251" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-3.jpg" alt="The Witches of Eastwick on stage at Hurtwood House in Surrey." class="wp-image-57710" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-3.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-3-533x800.jpg 533w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-3-666x1000.jpg 666w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-3-267x400.jpg 267w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-3-768x1153.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-3-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/12/Witches-of-Eastwick-Hurtwood-House-3-1365x2048.jpg 1365w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Good for: Anyone who loves theatre, those interested in joining Hurtwood House school, 



Not for: Children. There are adult themes throughout the story.



The Witches of Eastwick is at Hurtwood House school until Fri 20 Dec.

Review: The Witches of Eastwick, Hurtwood House

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