Beverly: 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' cast reunites for 30th anniversary

Melissa Joan Hart will return to Massachusetts on Halloween to mark three decades since the debut of "Sabrina the Teenage Witch." The actress and her former co-stars will perform at The Cabot in Beverly at 8:30 p.m. on October 31. Tickets for the event start at $49.50.

The Beverly show serves as the opening night for a multi-city reunion tour. The group will next perform at the Uptown Theater in Providence on Sunday, October 31. The schedule confirms a two-day run in the Northeast before the tour moves to other locations.

Hart, Beth Broderick, Elisa Donovan, Jenna Leigh Green, David Lascher, Nate Richert, and Caroline Rhea will join the audience for a program featuring skits, music, and fan interactions. Hart indicated that the event will include an audition for a performer to mimic Salem, the talking cat from the series.

The show’s setting contributed to the choice of venue. The sitcom was set in the fictional Massachusetts town of Westbridge. Although principal photography took place in Los Angeles, the exterior house used for the Spellman residence is located in New Jersey. Later seasons moved the storyline to Boston, with the State House appearing in the opening credits.

Caroline Rhea, who played Aunt Hilda, was instrumental in securing the Beverly date. Hart noted that Rhea has frequent connections to the Salem area and has integrated into the local community. Hart described Rhea as a "driving force behind the Beverly show" due to these ties.

The idea for a live event originated from fan conventions. Hart and her co-stars observed strong support at comic cons and decided to create a dedicated "Sabrina" experience. A reunion event in Chicago during the summer proved successful, leading to the decision to launch a nationwide tour.

Hart credits her mother, Paula, for the original creation of the series. In 1994, while Hart was finishing "Clarissa Explains It All," her mother received a "Sabrina" comic book. Paula pitched the idea to Viacom, proposing a made-for-TV movie. That project resulted in a 1996 Showtime film starring Hart and Ryan Reynolds.

The television series that followed debuted on ABC in the fall of 1996. The cast changed from the movie, with Rhea replacing Sherry Miller as Aunt Hilda and Broderick replacing Charlene Fernetz as Aunt Zelda. Hart’s mother compiled a promotional reel from the movie to pitch the series to networks.

The show secured a slot on ABC’s TGIF block, competing against the "Clueless" TV series. It ran for seven seasons across ABC and the WB. Hart recalled that the network ordered 52 episodes after the second season, a move that confirmed the show’s potential. The series featured guest appearances from Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, the Backstreet Boys, 'N SYNC, Dick Van Dyke, Raquel Welch, and Johnny Mathis.

Hart said the tour will include the sizzle reel her mother created. She also plans to share stories about guest stars, including a visit to Shirley Temple’s home after the actress agreed to meet her. Hart views the 1990s as a period of greater privacy compared to the current digital age, a sentiment she believes resonates with new generations of viewers.