Abracadabra follows the story of Cynthia Vanderhaven, a famous actress whose star has
begun to wane. In order to reclaim her past glory, she signs on to be Elizabeth Proctor,
the lead, in the Broadway show “Let ‘Em Burn”, a musical adaptation of Arthur Miller’s
The Crucible. What she thought would be a respectful production is instead a circus. She
is vexed by the director Benton Bentonsworth, the producer Herb Beechman, and his ex-
stripper girlfriend Mitzi Monroe (who plays the role of Abigail). The one thing that keeps
Cynthia going is her affair with her leading man, Guy McLean. However, things only get
worse. Herb has signed Cynthia’s old nemesis, Marta Baxter-Hurley, to play the Elizabeth
role in the Toronto run of the show. Cynthia and Marta immediately clash. That Guy and
Marta once had an affair further enrages Cynthia. Other romances are not going well
either. Keith, one of the guys in the chorus, confesses his love for Mitzi, but she rejects
him. And Ronnie, another chorus member, tries to win over the heart of Benton without
any better luck. During a rehearsal of the opening number “Abracadabra”, Marta observes
the show for the first time. A real witch, she is horrified that the production should be
treating the image of witches so poorly. She places a spell on the set, and it collapses. Act
One comes to an end.
Act Two opens with the chorus members lamenting their woes. Helen, who plays Tituba
in “Let “Em Burn”, encourages them to find hope again. Cynthia is besides herself; the
fighting with Marta has taken a lot out of her. She asks Guy for an end to the affair. She
wants a real relationship instead; he turns her down. Marta’s magic hasn’t stopped the
show, though. On the night of the first preview, Marta locks Cynthia in a closet and takes
her place on stage. Cynthia escapes, and they fight it out. The show is rescued only by
Keith and Mitzi quickly improvising a dance break. Herb believes he is ruined. However,
Cynthia and Marta’s antics have made the papers, and ticket sales are going through the
roof. Herb decides to keep both actresses in the show and make it even more ridiculous.
Meanwhile, Mitzi comes to realize that Keith is the right man for her. Ronnie and Benton
patch things up as well. Cynthia and Marta finally have a heart-to-heart talk. They decide
to work together, and Marta turns Cynthia into a witch. Together, they face down Herb
and force him to shut down the show in favor of an original musical.
ABRACADABRA
Click below to hear demo selections from
"Abracadabra"
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Copyright 2004: Nathanael Chura. All Rights Reserved.