Witches

Double, double, toil and trouble…

That’s what you can expect from Witches, a world premiere new production from The Sydney Symphony Orchestra featuring four spellbinding singers. Helen Dallimore, Lucy Durack, Amanda Harrison and Jemma Rix each have witchcraft all over their resumes. In previous incarnations, Dallimore and Durack have played Glinda the Good Witch, and Harrison and Rix have played Elphaba, the two main characters of Wicked, the musical.

This will be the first time the four have performed together on stage, although Durack has worked with each of the others in the past. You can’t help but get a sense that they’re going to have a lot of fun.

Singing as ensemble, in varied combinations and solo, they will perform a “witchy” themed set list including standards like ‘That Old Black Magic’, ‘Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered’, and ‘I Put A Spell On You’, as well as selections from topical musicals such as The Wizard Of Oz, Hocus Pocus, Frozen, Into The Woods, Love Never Dies and of course, Wicked. 

While there will be some stage effects, it is mainly the four women, each with their distinctive styles, who promise to captivate and charm audiences.

Ben Lewis, who played The Phantom in the Australian production of Love Never Dies, will also make a special appearance.

With the cheeky in-built humour of the theme, the outstanding collection of talent on stage and the magical programme, this promises to be a truly enchanting experience. (RB)

Jul 15 & 16 (Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm). Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House. $53-$139. Tickets & info: sydneysymphony.com or (02) 8215 4600

BY RITA BRATOVICH