Blithe Spirit

“Blithe Spirit” is a black comedy written by Noel Coward, it was first produced as a play at the Manchester Opera House in 1941 and as a film in 1945, directed by David Lean and starring Rex Harrison; a second film was made in 2020. The play begins with Charles Condomine and his second wife Ruth preparing for a dinner party; they have invited Dr Bradman and his wife Mrs Bradman along with a third guest Madame Arcarti, who they hope is going to conduct a séance; during the séance she plays a recording of Irving Berlin’s “Always” and inadvertently attracts the ghost of Charles’s first wife Elvira who is determined to disrupt the Bradman’s marriage…

The play’s director Jay Lucas has done an excellent job, it was well cast, had a very good pace, was perfectly staged and the scene changes were effortless. The seven actors were all very impressive. Richard Llewellyn gave a commanding performance as Charles Condomine he had great diction and impeccable timing. The role of Ruth Condomine was played by Hannah Johnson; I was amazed how she managed the scenes when Elvira’s ghost was present, this showed great acting skill, well done Hannah! Tim Allebone as Dr Bradman and Ann Chambers as Mrs Bradman both gave commendable performances, had good timing and worked well with the other actors. Alison Thomas as Madame Arcarti gave a performance that I enjoyed very much, her comic timing was excellent and she sustained her distinctive character throughout. Elvira Condomine was wonderfully played by Michaela Clement-Hayes, her ghost character was plausibly played and I love the scenes she was in. Charllene Clarke as Edith the maid had some great comedy moments and gave a very good performance. Well done to all the actors.

I loved the set for this production; it was very authentically furnished and dressed. The props were very good and well utilised. The costumes were excellent and in keeping with the era, I especially liked Madame Arcarti’s costumes. The lighting and sound quality was perfect throughout the play. Congratulations to Wellingborough Technical Players for this first class, hilariously funny production of “Blithe Spirit.

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