BELL, BOOK AND CANDLE Plays Greenwich Playhouse

New York and London producer Alces Productions is delighted to make its premier appearance at the Greenwich Playhouse in November with the first professional UK revival in almost two decades of John Van Druten's classic comedy about witchcraft and romance, Bell, Book and Candle.

The Play: It's Christmas Eve, 1950 in Manhattan, but young witch Gillian Holroyd's mood is more restless than festive. She wants something different this season, perhaps in the form of her attractive new tenant Shepherd Henderson. Problem is, he's engaged to Gillian's former school rival, and Gillian suspects she hasn't got time to win him over before his New Year's Eve wedding announcement. Unless, of course, she exercises her extraordinary powers to bind him with a spell. But that's no challenge - or is it?

In our frantic modern world of souless soulmate searches and dot-com dating disasters, Van Druten's enchanting tale reminds us that sometimes all it takes is a little magic to discover the transforming power of love.

The Playwright: London native John Van Druten (1901-1957) had enjoyed years of West End acclaim when he decided to further his theatrical career in America. Bell, Book and Candle was one of a string of Broadway successes that included The Voice of the Turtle; I Remember Mama; and I Am a Camera (later adapted into the musical Cabaret), which won the 1952 Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. Bell, Book and Candle became a hit film in 1958 starring Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart.

The Production Team: Alces Productions is the producing company of director/playwright Mark Giesser, who will direct the Greenwich Playhouse production in collaboration with Obie Award-winning designer John Scheffler. Mr. Giesser, a member of the League of Off-Broadway Theatres & Producers, has produced and directed numerous Off-Broadway shows. In 2006, he debuted Jim Nolan's Blackwater Angel at London's Finborough Theatre following its premier at Dublin's Abbey Theatre. In 2010, he made his UK playwriting debut with The Tulip Wars at London's Lion & Unicorn Theatre.

"Playwright Jim Nolan's spiritual and earthly subjects are beautifully set off by this thoughtful and finely-tuned production." - Theatreworld Internet Magazine on Blackwater Angel.

"Full marks to American Mark R. Giesser for spotting that the fusion of the banal and the earth-shattering inherent in laborious lab work can be hilarious ... in a play as joyous as this." -- Islington Tribune on The Tulip Wars.

"In this presentation, an eloquent cast under the playwright's direction creates characters so vivid they sometimes seem threatening." - The New York Times on Pledge of Allegiance.

VENUE: Greenwich Playhouse
Greenwich Station Forecourt
189 Greenwich High Road
London SE10 8JA
www.galleontheatre.co.uk

DATES: 8th November - 4th December 2011
Tues - Sat @ 7:30pm; Sun @ 4pm
Press Night: Thursday, 10th November 2011 @ 7:30pm
Running time 2hr (approx) inc. interval

TICKETS: £12, £10 (concs.)
BOX OFFICE: 020 8858 9256; boxoffice@galleontheatre.co.uk

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