Blithe Spirit

Blithe Spirit is one of my favourite plays so I attended with much excitement and anticipation. The set was one of the best dressed sets I've seen, it was full but not overpowering and too much, the attention to detail ,even to the wallpaper was fantastic to see. The chaise longue which works brilliantly for this play, so much better than a simple sofa was elegantly placed off centre - so that it was a focal point yet, it didn't immediately draw your eye when the actors were sat around the table conducting their seance.

Props were plentiful and handled competently, Elvira (Catherine Borg-Fenech)changed some colourful flowers for some silver ones , nobody commented or alluded to it but it drew my eye away from the action further on the stage. Pace at the beginning of the play was slow and stilted with far too many "Pintersque" pauses however it did pick up.

Laurence Shoebridge as Charles Condomine was elegant and eloquent, I did feel at times that his characterisation was a little contained and a bit reserved but this is a personal opinion. Dialogue delivery was good, his use of stage space was nice, sight lines were good, I particularly enjoyed his interactions with Elvira ( Catherine Borg-Fenech) when only he could see her. The chemistry between Laurence and Emily Fitzpatrick ( Ruth Condomine)  was evident. I was a little confused at the beginning when Emily (Ruth) was addressing all her lines to the audience instead of looking at Charles, this did continue intermittently throughout the show so perhaps it was a directorial decision, it didn't work for me I'm afraid.

Emily played a strong character and really brought out the comedic elements when Elvira was being quite naughty. It was strange to see Emily ( Ruth) stamp her feet and get angry because all the petulance usually comes from the ultra dramatic Elvira (Catherine) while Ruth (Emily) is usually calm and collected. Catherine Borg-Fenech (Elvira) and Emily Fitzpatrick ( Ruth) had some fabulous scenes together, I would have liked to see both of them give more of themselves , I felt like they were holding back , they were still "Playing" a part not "being" the part. Steve Jacobs as Dr Bradman was a fine settling presence, he moved within his space well, was generous to his fellow actors and sight lines were good. Karen Hamnett(Violet Bradman) was a perfect partner for Steve, they had some great chemistry and a very natural air about them. Dialogue delivery was good and pace was ok. Vanessa Randall stepped into the part of Madame Arcarti just nine days before Opening Night, it was announced that she would be reading from her script because of this late substitution. She had some nice moments with all the characters in the play and was very comfortable on the stage. Julie Krebs as Edith was an absolute scene stealer, her comedy timing was spot on , her exaggerated slow walk was a sight to behold.

Costumes were provided by The Boyz, everyone looked splendid, I was particularly envious of Elvira's sparkly head piece. I was also pleased to note that Catherine (Elvira) had even matched her nail varnish to her dress and make up to further enhance the illusion that she is a ghost. Sound was good throughout the show, it was a clever move to set the scene by having music from the era playing in the foyer as people entered. The lighting was sympathetic to the scenes and quite generic.

Thank you for your hospitality, myself and my guest enjoyed the performance. See you all soon. 

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