In the spring of 1941, as Londoners endured continual bombing, playwright Noel Coward slipped away to Wales to begin work on a new script that he would call Blithe Spirit. He referred to it as a superficial comedy about a ghost and felt that it would lighten the mood in London’s theatres. Six days later, the play was finished – it was a smash hit and is still popular on film and on the live stage almost eight decades later.
Driftwood Players and the Chair Actors will bring the full-length comedy to stages in Gibsons and Sechelt opening March 31. Richard Austin plays the part of the worldly writer Charles Condomine whose deceased ex-wife Elvira (played by Sally Williams) appears to him following a séance. The only problem is that no one but Charles can see or hear her – and the mischievous Elvira likes it that way. He’s convinced he is having a real conversation with Elvira while his current wife is convinced he’s suffering from the rich lemon sole that he ate for lunch. Charles brought the problem on himself by inviting the dotty Madame Arcati, the psychic, to the house because he was “looking for a real, professional charlatan.” The madame’s splendid role is played with great zeal by Louise Phillips.
Mardell Vestad plays Charles’ current wife who becomes increasingly concerned that his apparition is proof that he is mentally unsound. Guests to the Condomine household are a couple who participate in the table-rattling, spook-producing séance – parts performed by Wanda Nowicki and Stephen Archibald. And keep your eye on the maid, Edith, played by Susan Rule.
This is a fine cast, some of whom have professional experience on stage either reciting poetry, singing or acting. The tart dialogue is pure Coward, and they handle it well.
Blithe Spirit is directed by Dagmar Kaffunke-Nunn, who has produced CBC plays and documentaries, and by Louise Phillips, who is best known locally for her original scripts written for the Chair Actors. She also has considerable experience in professional theatre and film in Vancouver. Bill Forst is producer, and David Short is stage manager.
Blithe Spirit opens at the Heritage Playhouse, Gibsons, at 7:30 p.m. on March 31 and continues on April 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9 with 2 p.m. matinées on April 3 and 10. Then it moves to the Sechelt Seniors’ Activity Centre at 7:30 p.m. on April 15 and 16 with a 3 p.m. matinée on April 17. Tickets for $20 are at The Blackberry Shop and Laedeli in Gibsons, Sechelt Visitor Centre, the Seniors’ Centre and online at www.driftwoodplayers.ca
