Cat magic enlivens Wimberley Players
production of Bell, Book and Candle

You could say that Pyewacket is a cat-alyst for magic.

The smallest cast member of the Wimberley Players’ upcoming production,  Bell, Book and Candle, is indeed…a cat.  As viewers of the movie version know, a cat named Pyewacket, owned by benevolent witch Gillian Holyroyd, plays a major role in the spells, romance and impish fantasy of the production.

The Wimberley Players’ production, which runs through December 9, also features a cat. Chester, as he is known off stage, is a ginger cat owned by assistant director Nancy Wesson. He is being conditioned to the oddities of a stage and will, hopefully, remember his lines throughout his nine lives…er, performances.

“We all decided that Chester, aka Pyewacket, would have free run of the theatre, and for several rehearsals we locked the theatre up and allowed the cat to just feel comfortable in his new home,” says director Jenifer Carsrud. “Nancy says that Chester now looks forward to his trips to the theatre, knowing he’s going to be among ‘his people’.”

Having grown accustomed to his new surroundings, Chester now drinks from the actors’ goblets, lounges on various pieces of furniture, and upstages all his castmates. “Chester always wants to be on stage,” says Carsrud, “even when it’s not his scene.”

Carsrud admits that Chester is different from the average cat. But he still needs to feel like he “owns” the stage, she says. What a cat-ty idea!

Gillian, a forerunner to Samantha in the TV series “Bewitched,” casts a spell over the object of her affection, Shep, to keep him away from her rival. Unfortunately, even modern day witches can’t fall in love, so a number of difficulties must be overcome before romance has its way. Pyewacket helps her cast the spells that may make her dreams come true.

Gillian and Pyewacket