Blithe Spirit

Blithe Spirit   a play performed by Southport Dramatic Club, on Friday, 30th September 2022 at Southport Little Theatre, Hoghton Street, Southport.
 

In 1941, Noel Coward penned this comic play in 4 days whilst on a trip to North Wales. He wrote, “Beyond a few typographical errors, I made no corrections and only two lines of the original script were ultimately cut” … how amazing was that!  The play centres around Charles Condomine, a socialite and novelist who is seeking inspiration for a new book and in an effort to do so, he and his wife Ruth, invite eccentric medium and clairvoyant Madame Arcati to dinner and a séance. The scheme backfire and Charles ends up getting more than he bargained for as the ghost of his temperamental first wife, Elvira, is inadvertently summoned!  Visible only to Charles, Elvira begins to disrupt Charles’s marriage by causing many problems, problems that eventually become life threatening. So, Madame Arcati is summoned in an attempt to exorcise the mischievous spirit and before things get completely out of hand… this has tragic and hilarious results!

This was my second invitation to watch a Southport Dramatic Club production, but my first to see the adult members in action and what a treat lay ahead!  

As we entered the auditorium we were greeted with an open stage and a lavish, extremely detailed set, well thought out and delightfully presented which afforded the cast every opportunity to perform to their best. The set immediately transported you into the heart of a comfortable country house living room… just before cocktails were to be served! So, as instructed by the Director in her programme notes… I sat back and waited to be whisked back to the late 1930’s... we were not to be disappointed!

The Production Team… it was obvious from the start that Sandra Unsworth (Director), Cath Fisher (Assistant Director) knew exactly what they wanted from this production and what they wanted from the cast… every aspect was well thought out down to the very last detail.  A good cast were well rehearsed and as soon as those lights came up were ready to give their all… congratulations ladies great job, be ever so proud!

The Cast… anyone who’s read any of my reviews will know that this is where I ‘stick my neck out’ and start identifying favourites… ‘MY’ favourites, ask anyone else present and they may well selected others, but this is ME… The casting was ‘spot on’ with each member complementing the others ever so well… MY ‘Show stealer’ was, without doubt, Poppy Flanagan and her performance as the unconventional, boisterous, enthusiastic ‘Madame Arcati’. Poppy did a great job with this role; great stage presence, energy, enthusiasm, mannerisms and facial expressions aplenty… loved the accent and physical comedy, which was continuous throughout and helped her create this totally believable character… be ever so proud Poppy… great job!  The ’trio’ of ‘Charles Condomine’, ‘Ruth Condomine’ and ‘Elvira Condomine’ … that’s ‘husband’, ‘current wife’ and ‘deceased wife’… were played well by Ted Bullen, Trudi Hirsch and Philippa Hipwell respectively.  All three were well-cast and worked ever so well together.  They provided three entertaining characters, all with good stage presence, good diction and the chemistry between them felt authentic!  Be proud, good job!  Mike Yates and Jacquie Wade took on the roles of ‘Doctor George Bradman’, the kind local doctor and loyal friend to the Condomine’s and ‘Violet Bradman’, the slightly naïve Doctors wife.  The ‘Bradman’s’ were the invited guests to the séance.  Again, two believable characters, both with good stage presence and who worked well together and with the Condomine’s… well done, be proud!   Last and certainly not least was Diane Mackley who took on the role of ‘Edith’ the very nervous, naïve, 100 mile an hour house maid of the Condomine’s! (Diane stood in for the ‘not too well’, Zoe Findlay - hope you’re feeling better soon Zoe!).  Diane looked totally comfortable in this role which she made her own. Great mannerisms and interacted well with the other members of the cast… be proud Diane!   

Coward had interlaced throughout this production a ‘plethora’ of amazing one-liners delivered really well by the cast! MY favourite… ‘Charles to Ruth’ (second wife) …  “If you're trying to compile an inventory of my sex life, I feel it only fair to warn you that you've omitted several episodes. I shall consult my diary and give you a complete list after lunch” …loved it!   Follow that up with a question from ‘Ruth to Charles’… “Was she more physical than I am? Charles response… “That’s a very tiresome question darling!  It fully deserves a wrong answer!  Then, Madame Arcati’s interaction with Ruth… “You’re just in time for a cup of tea, that’s if you don’t mind China?  Ruth… “Not at all” …  Arcati “I never touch Indian, upsets my vibrations” … just the tip of a very funny ice-berg!

Staging and Technical ...  Ged Whittle (Stage Manager), Alan Gosling (Set Design), Bob Jessamine (Scenic Artist) and the SDC Construction Team should all be congratulated for this amazing set which not only offered the actors everything they needed but which also enhanced the production so much!  Loved the closing scene with the doors opening and closing, the chandelier swinging, the piano lid closing and things falling off shelves - well thought-out, well-designed!  If I’m to be ever so picky, there was one ‘long blackout’ in Act 2, were those around me started to ‘squirm’ just a little, I think probably for a big costume change, but I am being picky and for me it didn’t affect the overall enjoyment!  Be proud folks… all those efforts paid off!  

Sound and Lighting as always here at the Little Theatre was first class… congrats to Syd Coley, Alex McKillop and Tom Ashcroft (Lighting Design and Operation) and to Pete Beswick and his assistant Neil Yates (Sound Design and Operation) … well done folks, great job!  Props… under the watchful eye of Ed Davies and Lynn Gosling where apt, enhanced the production and used extremely well throughout!   Wardrobe… flamboyant, appropriate for the period and the characters, again enhanced the production so much…  looked after by Sam Fulstow, Michele Martin and the SDC Wardrobe Team. Loved the flamboyance of ‘Madam Arcati’ and the ghostly effect achieved for ‘Elvira’ and later ‘Ruth’…. congrats one and all!

Thank you so much for inviting my wife and I, we thoroughly enjoyed the production and can’t wait to see you all again soon for some ‘Gym and Tonic’!

Stay safe and keep well…
‘STRONGER TOGETHER’

Jim Briscoe
NODA North West
District 6 Rep

 

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