Blithe Spirit

Blithe Spirit is “an improbable farce” by Noel Coward.  It tells the story of how writer Charles Condomine reacts when – after a seance he organises for research purposes for his new book – Madam Arcati conjures up the ghost of his dead wife!  The story unfolds as he tries to deal with having two wives – one only he can see.  This classic play is stuffed full of witty one liners and larger than life characters.

The set was excellent and had been well crafted faithfully recreating the 1930s drawing room in Charles and Ruth Condomine’s home. There was great attention to detail with the décor and furnishings such as mirrors, light fittings etc which were exquisite.

 A great deal of trouble had also gone into ensuring each character was appropriately dressed for the period and made up immaculately.  Elvira’s “ghost” outfit was absolutely gorgeous and Ruth had matching dresses: one for life and one for death.

The lighting was effective and imaginative; the special effects for the arrival and departure of the ghosts were well executed.

The essential characterisations of each cast member was well developed and each character maintained their persona throughout. There were no weak links in this excellent production. Caroline Martin provided much of the humour as the eccentric medium Madam Arcati, but this was a great ensemble production under the directorship of Keith Graham, whose experience was evident in this high-class production which was full of suspense, laughs, twists and turns and gave the audience an evening of quality entertainment.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.