PowPAC bringing TV to life with ‘The Kitchen Witches’

By Emily Sorensen

PowPAC, Poway’s Community Theatre has launched the new year with laughter and love in “The Kitchen Witches.”

“It’s a very unusual comedy theater piece,” said director Jay Mower, who is directing his 18th show for PowPAC with “The Kitchen Witches.”

The play tells the story of Isobel Lomax and Dolly Biddle, two “mature” cable-access cooking show hostesses who have hated each other for 30 years, since Larry Biddle dated Isobel and married Dolly. When one of the women is filming her final cooking show, the other is in the audience and starts an argument on stage.

When the filming is over, the women are offered a joint cooking show, that will contain just as many verbal barbs at each other as it does cooking advice. “It’s Jerry Springer-esque,” said Mower. Throughout the show, Isobel and Dolly proceed to drive Dolly’s long-suffering producer son, Stephen, crazy as they fight over dressing rooms and more.

“It’s the funniest show I’ve ever directed,” said Mower. “It’s got some zingers, but also some poignancy.”

In between sniping and cooking, the women deal with the issues of their shared past and hidden secrets. “Love is a strong theme in this,” said Mower. “I want people to leave with that.”

The show also brings creativity and excitement with the set, which is designed to look like a television studio set, complete with PowPAC’s audience as the studio audience at a taping. “The stage is set up like a TV set, with a television camera and cameraman and real set lights,” said Mower.

The audience is also a huge part of “The Kitchen Witches.”

“There’s lots of audience participation,” said Mower. “The actors interact with them directly, and one audience member will be invited on stage to be a judge [on the cooking show].”

“The Kitchen Witches” stars Marilyn Wolfe as Isobel Lomax, Shari Lyon as Dolly Biddle, Jake Lewis as Stephen Biddle and Gerren Hall as Rob.

“The Kitchen Witches” runs through Sunday, Feb. 17 at 13250 Poway Road, upstairs in the Lively Center. Shows are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. General admission tickets are $18, seniors and students are $15. Special pricing is available for groups of eight or more. Reserve your seats by calling the PowPAC box office at 858-679-8085 or emailing boxoffice@powpac.org.