Overview
Synopsis
The Witches of Eastwick tells the tale of the people of the little town of Eastwick. It is a town where everyone knows everything about everyone else, and it is presided over by the indomitable Felicia Gabriel. Bored and fed up with their small town lives, three women--Alexandra (Alex), Sukie, and Jane--share a desire for “all manner of man in one man” to provide excitement and variety. That man arrives, literally in a flash, in the devil-like form of Darryl Van Horne. Darryl seduces the women and teaches them powers, which they never knew they had. Scandalized by the carefree foursome, Felicia and the women of the town vow to clean up the “Dirty Laundry” that is disrupting their peaceful setup. As Darryl’s powers over Alex, Jane, and Sukie become more powerful, the three women start to consider that their wild, lustful relationship with Darryl is more sinister and dangerous than they realized. After Felicia and her husband, Clive, die as a result of the witches’ curse, the women vow to have nothing more to do with Darryl. When Darryl tries to take over the rest of the town and marry Felicia and Clive’s orphaned daughter Jennifer, they realize that they must use their newly discovered powers to get rid of him once and for all.
Show Information
- Music
- Dana P. Rowe
- Conceived By
- John Updike
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 2000
- Genres
- Dark Comedy, Romance, Fairy Tale/Fantasy
- Settings
- Contemporary, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- fictional town of eastwick, rhode island, modern day
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- Medium
- Dancing
- Musical Staging
- Licensor
- Music Theatre International
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Regional Theatre, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Adult, Late Teen, Young Adult, Early Teen, Mature Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Silent |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
Songs
Act One
- Eastwick Knows - Little Girl, Alexandra, Jane, Sukie, Townspeople
- Something/Make Him Mine - Alexandra, Jane, Sukie
- Eastwick Knows (reprise) - Little Girl, Felicia, Townspeople
- I Love a Little Town - Darryl, Townspeople
- The Eye of the Beholder - Darryl, Alexandra
- Waiting for the Music to Begin - Jane, Darryl
- Words, Words, Words - Sukie, Darryl
- Something - Michael, Jennifer
- *Dirty Laundry - Felicia, Women of Eastwick
- I Wish I May - Alexandra, Sukie, Jane, Darryl
Act Two
- Another Night at Darryl’s - Alexandra
- *Dance With the Devil - Darryl, Michael, Men of Eastwick
- *Another Night at Darryl’s (reprise) - Little Girl, Alexandra, Jane, Sukie
- Evil - Felicia
- Dirty Laundry (reprise) - Alexandra, Jane, Sukie, Townspeople
- Waiting for the Music to Begin (reprise) - Jane
- Three Little Ladies - Darryl
- Words, Words, Words (reprise) - Sukie
- I Love a Little Town (reprise) - Darryl, Townspeople
- I Wish I May (reprise) - Jennifer
- The Glory of Me - Darryl, Townspeople
- The Wedding - Alexandra, Jane, Sukie, Ed, Darryl, Townspeople
- Finale - Michael, Jennifer, Alexandra, Jane, Sukie
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher