Have you ever seen a witch living in a retirement home? Anyone who hasn’t experienced such a mystical sight can do so starting Feb. 27 when the musical comedy, Confessions of a Retired Witch, marks its world premiere at the Studio, 201 Plaza Real in Boca Raton’s Mizner Park.
D’Jamin Bartlett, the award-winning actress who made her Broadway debut singing “The Miller’s Son” in Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, and Emmy Award-winning composer Mark Bornfield have collaborated to create the mystical story.
Bartlett also wrote the book for the show.
As the play goes, Angelina Max, the last remaining witch from a powerful coven in Miami, has lost her castle in a misspell. She has placed herself in Sunny Smiles retirement community where she tells the other residents, the staff psychiatrist and the home’s director that she is indeed a true witch and not just losing her mind and a candidate for the facility’s assisted living quarters.
Before she can reunite with other witches, she must pass her magic on to a deserving mortal. In today’s acerbic world, this is a challenging task, and her time is running out.
“We have been working on this show for a number of years,” said Bornfield, who was dubbed the “Florida Irving Berlin” when his “Merry Christmas from Miami” was sung in the White House during the Clinton Administration.
“It began when I was on vacation in Denver, and I heard a lyric from the song “Miami” by Manuel Riva. (“There’s a place in Miami where they heal your soul, they fill the glass with your deepest hope”). It generated an energy and a vibe that piqued my imagination.”
“Dee’s favorite holiday is Halloween, and those two notions combined quite naturally through vivid imagination and a lot of hard work – making it fun and exciting to create characters that were magical, and that married fantasy with love.”
Confessions of a Retired Witch will be helmed by Barry Zieger, who previously directed Bartlett as Aldonza in Man of La Mancha. Bornfield will provide musical direction. The production will star Bartlett, along with four-time Carbonell Award-winner Margot Moreland and popular South Florida actor/singer James Skiba.
Bartlett won Theater World, Drama Desk and Show Business awards for her performance of “The Miller’s Son” in A Little Night Music. Some of her other Broadway and national tour credits include Lend Me a Tenor, Pippin and Godspell.
She has been directed by Broadway legends Harold Prince, Jerry Zaks, Bob Fosse and Martin Charnin, played leading lady to Elliot Gould, Burt Convey and Gene Barr. She also appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Other television credits include “Eva” in One Life to Live and many commercials.
Bornfield is a Boston television Emmy Award-winning composer, a pianist, studio recording vocalist and trumpet player. He is a member of ASCAP and has accompanied Vikki Carr, Robert Morse, Whitney Houston and Jamie Foxx. He was a featured cabaret artist and solo pianist at Boston’s Copley Plaza Oak Room and aboard the Seabourn Pride.
Together, Bartlett and Bornfield have been called a “chic, sophisticated, and powerful duo.” They have performed throughout South Florida at major country clubs, restaurants and nightclubs including Turnberry Isle in Miami Beach, Boca West, Polo Club, Indian Creek Country Club, Surf Club and Lighthouse Point Yacht clubs.
Their private and corporate party performances include Greenbrier, New York Regency (Feinstein’s), Orlando World Center Marriott, Mar-a-Lago and the Ritz-Carlton in Naples. In the summer, they reside on Cape Cod where they entertain at Lighthouse Inn Resort, Sagamore Inn and other popular places.
Confessions of a Retired Witch runs through March 8. Tickets range in price from $64.75 (matinee performances) to $78.25 (evening performances) including taxes and Ticketmaster fees. Group rates are also available. For tickets and information: https://www.ticketmaster.com (search for Confessions) or email tickets@thestudioatmiznerpark.com.
