Seward steals lead role for comeback performance
Hilary Saskin
Issue date: 11/16/09 Section: Culture
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"Bell, Book and Candle" was the inspiration for this phenomenon.
"The show 'Bewitched' is based off this play," said Jennifer Seward, a UMKC student and the play's female lead.
"Bell, Book and Candle" is a modern day witch story set and written in the 1950s. It tells the story of Gillian Holroyd, a witch who just wants to be normal.
The production opens with Holroyd both bored and unhappy on Christmas Eve. She decides she wants to meet new people and get out of the norm that has become her life.
She immediately considers Shepherd Henderson, the attractive publisher who lives above her. But she finds out that he is engaged and, even worse, his fiancée is her former college rival.
Holroyd, feeling the need to take revenge on her old rival, puts a spell on Henderson to make him fall in love with her. He succumbs to the spell and finds himself drawn to Holroyd without understanding why.
Consistent with Holroyd's hopes and plans, Henderson breaks off his engagement to be with her.
But not all is perfect for her, there is a catch: witches cannot fall in love without losing their supernatural abilities.
Faced with this dilemma, Holroyd must decide whether or not to tell Henderson the truth and, if so, must deal with the consequences.
"Bell, Book and Candle" is a romantic comedy full of spells, blackmail and threats which send the characters through a variety of twists and turns.
Seward, the only UMKC student in the production, said this is her "debut performance" to get back into theater.
"I did a lot of theater in high school but I kind of went on a three-year hiatus," Seward said. "Shortly before the semester started I decided I wanted to get back into it."
She found out about the production through kcstage.com and auditioned early in the semester.
"Auditions were Sept. 20 and 21 - they announced who made it that Tuesday (Sept. 22)," she said.
Seward is a Communication Studies major with minors in both Sociology and Theater. But theater is her primary focus.
"I could [graduate] in the spring (2010) but I decided to go back for another year," she said. "Right before school started, I decided I wanted to do some hobby things. That's where the theater came in."
Ultimately, Seward wants to pursue a career in some aspect of theater. Her main goal would be acting on screen.
"I've done a little bit of screen stuff," she said, "and I want to get more into that."
Seward can be seen in "Bell, Book and Candle" at 8 p.m. Nov. 20-21 at the Leavenworth Performing Arts Center in downtown Leavenworth.
For more information or to reserve tickets, call 913-682-7557.
hsaskin@unews.com
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