In a cherry, some people always see the stony pit and other see the juicy flesh, said Darryl Van Horne.

When I went to see the latest SADOS (Spalding Amateur Dramatic & Operatic Society) play Witches of Eastwick at the South Holland Centre in spalding I found the flesh - both literally and figuratively.

Not one for youngsters, overflowing as the play was with risque outfits, innuendo and blatant eroticism but it was still a rounded and sweet show that featured all the best aspects of SADOS performances, the group now celebrating its 79th birthday.

Produced by Harrison Fuller and based on the novel by John Updike, the play focused on the tiny New England town of Eastwick, Rhode Island, with three modern day witches innocently plotting over a heady brew of weak Martinis and peanut butter brownies.

What Alexandra (Trish Burgess), Jane (Julie Cooke) and Sukie (Sheila Millington) really needed was a "tower of strength", a hero to shake them out of their stupor.

It wasn't long before the beautifully named Darryl Van Horne (Alasdair Baker, who also directed) announced himself at an Eastwick Preservation Society ball in a blaze of fire.

From then on the town can never be the same, much to the horror of Felicia Gabriel (the excellent Sharon Barker-Herauville), the ultra-conservative chairman of the society.

Van Horne, "assisted" by comedy butler Fidel (David Lewsey) casts his eye on the three witches, encouraging them to strive to better themselves while leaving their clothes on his bedroom floor.

Before long the three learn magical skills to torment Gabriel, who is vomitting balls and feathers, and certainly from my seat I couldn't see how it was done.  they even flew at one point.

The strangely sexy Gabriel, dressed like a low-quality airline stewardess, eventually meets an untimely end from her own husband Clyde (Brett Moore) and the witches realise the folly of their powers.  The newly-dumped Van Horne is not impressed....

Amy Lou Cooke, playing Gabriel's daughter, looks like a star for the future - but there honestly wasn't a weak performance from anyone.

Even though the witches' bad boy love interest let them down (they always do, girls), Van Horne gave them the confidence and the realisation to believe that it is never too late in life to achieve what you want.

The music (directed by Leslie Crowson) was marvellous and Alasdair Baker, as well as coaxing a beautiful story from the performers, was an excellent Van Horne, menacing and funny.

I tried out a few of his lines but they didn't work for me.  All in all, pretty much perfect.

Jack Nicholson would have been proud.

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