SOMETHING wicked comes to the South Coast this autumn as Southampton-born music star Earl Carpenter premiere's his brand new musical.

Earl has chosen the intimate Shelley Theatre in Boscombe, Bournemouth for his first ever performance of Three Witches on October 29.

The bewitching concert will feature an incredible coven of top West End divas. Three Witches will star three top musical theatre female performers who have all, at some point in their career played a wickedly wonderful witch in a musical.

Tiffany Graves (‘Sukie Rougemont’ in The Witches of Eastwick), Jacqueline Hughes (‘Elphaba’ in Wicked!) and Annette Yeo (‘The Witch’ in Into The Woods), are all seasoned and incredibly versatile music theatre performers and their combined talent is going to make this premiere and enchanting masterclass in musical theatre.

The audience can expect humorous and magical songs from the concerts and hear songs from some of the world’s greatest musicals, as well as be entranced by various well known numbers and other such musical sorcery.

The eagerly-anticipated show has been devised and directed by Broadway and West End star Earl who created the incredibly successful international concert, Three Phantoms.

Earl has enjoyed a 25 year career in some of the world's greatest musicals and is best known for playing Inspector Javert in Les Misérables and the title role in Phantom of the Opera, in which he performed over 1,800 times in London’s West End and around the UK.

He is also creative director for Ginger Boy Productions, and has devised and directed the concert phenomenon, The Three Phantoms that has toured extensively throughout the UK, Scandinavia and the United Arab Emirates.

Earl said: “I never thought Three Phantoms would achieve the international status and success it has enjoyed. Fingers crossed that Three Witches will fly in the same way.”

He is clearly passionate about bringing exciting musical theatre such as Three Witches to Bournemouth and believes, “there is something about empowered women on stage and it appeals to the audience in a different way.”

Earl was born in Southampton but later lived around Poole and Bournemouth where he became a part of the busy am-dram scene as well as with professional organisations such as Forest Forge Theatre in Ringwood and the Jellicoe Theatre at Bournemouth and Poole College. With strong local ties, Earl is also the official patron of Mayflower Musical Youth Theatre at Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre.

Having spent such a large part of his early career in and around the south coast, Earl was last back in the area in June to play a one-man show at the Shelley Theatre to help raise funds for the historic venue.

Having spent the last month in Singapore performing in Forbidden City, Earl says he is looking forward to visiting Bournemouth.

“I don’t get much time to come back home. My mum is from Dorset, so it gives her a chance to travel not too far and we can spend some time together,” says Earl, 47.

He added: “Having a performance so close to Halloween in such a historic venue that is the Shelley Theatre, is going to be special.

“It is an intimate venue and it makes everything a lot more interactive.”

The October show will be a unique and intimate evening for theatre lovers. Presented as a 'talk-show’ and hosted by devilish interviewee and musical theatre wizard, Kieran Brown.

Three Witches promises to be an unmissable concert with piano accompaniment that will leave you bewitched. Tickets are limited so grab your broom and fly to the Shelley Theatre box office.

Three Witches runs at the Shelley Theatre on Sunday, October 29 at 7.30pm.

For more information and tickets please call 01202 413600 or visit shelleytheatre.co.uk