TheatreWorks' BELL, BOOK & CANDLE Suspended After Set Design/Direction Controversy

After opening their production of John Van Druten's 1950 romantic comedy BELL, BOOK & CANDLE on December 4th, New Milford's TheatreWorks has recently placed a notice on the company's website saying that performances have been suspended until further notice.

Though no reason has been stated, the postponement occurs after a controversy arose regarding the resemblance between the TheatreWorks production of the play, directed and designed by Joe Russo and one staged by Darko Tresnjak and designed by Andrew Dodge for a 2012 Long Wharf Theatre and Hartford Stage.

In a December 8th review of the TheatreWorks production, Amanda Christine of OnStage Blog writes, "I couldn't help but notice how remarkably similar it looked to the production that was performed at Hartford Stage in 2012 - from the scenic design, costuming and even blocking. The only other time I've seen this show was at Hartford Stage, so it was fresh in my mind when viewing the TheatreWorks production, which caused me to raise one eyebrow on more than one occasion."

The next day TheatreWorks posted the following notice on the company's Facebook page:

We've been receiving several comments on Facebook and in a recent review by OnStage Critics Circle, that our production of "Bell, Book & Candle" was inspired by The Hartford Stage production of 2012. This is correct, and the oversight to credit director Darko Tresnjak and designer Andrew Dodge occurred in our rush to open the show last weekend. We are crediting both Mr. Dodge and Mr. Tresnjak in our program, on our website, and any other communications involving the production. We thank you for your kind attention to this, and we apologize for any misunderstanding. What's more, we appreciate you raising this issue with us and for supporting TheatreWorks New Milford.

But arts administrator and producer Howard Sherman points out on his website HESherman.com, that their statement "misses the point entirely."

Sherman explains, 'It's not that Tresnjak and Dodge should have been credited - their work should never have been taken in the first place. That Russo acknowledges the debt his production owes to the Long Wharf/Hartford Stage original confirms exactly how he came by his directorial and design concept, but his statement neither excuses nor resolves the issue. I suspect unions have already been contacted by the artists involved in the source production."

The Internet makes it very easy to view the design elements of stage productions from around the world. Videos make a director's work easy to replicate. Sherman discusses in detail both the moral and legal points of adapting, or sometimes copying, the creative work of other theatre artists.

Click here for the full article.

Photo of TheatreWorks Production: Richard Pettibone