Blithe Spirit. To 4 October.

Derby

BLITHE SPIRIT
by Noel Coward
Derby Playhouse To 4 October 2003
Mon-Sat 7.30pm Mat 27 October 2.30pm
Audio-described/BSL Signed 27 October 2.30pm
Runs 2hr 30min One interval

Tks 01332 363275
www.derbyplayhouse.co.uk
Review: Jen Mitchell 18 September

A delicious evening of Coward's sharpest wit.
Charles Condomine is a smug and self-satisfied but entirely debonair gentleman writer who, quite frankly, gets exactly what he deserves when the spirit of his dead wife returns to him during a séance. What follows is a combination of perfectly timed farce, satire and slapstick.

Coward never wasted a word and Blithe Spirit is no exception - the banter between characters is free flowing and flawless. Each character almost verges on the caricature and yet we know the comedy lies in the reality of the emotions they feel.

Charles Condomine's relationship with Elvira was clearly in a different realm from the one he shares with his current wife Ruth; the romantic Lothario re-emerging as he accepts Elvira's ghostly presence, even suggesting to Ruth that if she were to be a little more easy going about the whole thing it might actually become 'fun'.

The guilt he initially feels at the death of his second wife finally leaves him, in a finale of major haunting proportions. The two spirits vent their anger at him; Charles departs with a flourish as the house quite literally falls apart around him.

The beautiful art-deco set makes a perfect backdrop for this comedy. I couldn't imagine it set in any other period and working so flawlessly.

Anny Tobin, her whole being exuding eccentricity, plays the wonderful Madame Arcati gloriously, complete with various ticks and hoots. Each character is played at the exact level required for maximum effect with seemingly minimal effort.

Edith: Jenni Maitland
Ruth Condomine: Liz Izen
Charles Condomine: David Leonard
Mrs Bradman: Lynette McMorrough
Dr Bradman: Robin Bowerman
Madame Arcati: Anny Tobin
Elvira: Maxine Fone

Director: Karen Louise Hebden
Designer: Andy Miller
Costume Designer: Nicholas Immaculate
Lighting Designer: Neil Fraser
Sound Designer: Paul Delaney

2003-09-21 12:24:54