Just the spirit.

Just the spirit.

Blithe Spirit is about a writer who invites an eccentric clairvoyant to a dinner party, to get ideas and details for his upcoming book.

But the sceptic’s plans backfire on him when the group accidentally summon his dead wife to his house – and she refuses to leave, playing havoc with his relationship with his current partner.

This Noël Coward mannered comedy derives its fun from the silliness of having ghosts taking part in every day life, and the farce resulting from conversations where one character can hear a ghost but others can’t.  Although it is about death, it manages to maintain a light-hearted tone throughout.

It’s a wonderful vehicle for the inimitable Ginette McDonald, starring as Madame Arcati, the slightly bonkers medium.

It’s a credit to her skill as an actor that she almost comes across as the most believable of the characters, despite delivering a host of weird and wonderful mystic theories – including why certain foods are incompatible with a good mystical performance:

“I had pigeon pie.  It puts a trance quite out of the question.”

Director Colin McColl delivers a contemporary version of Blithe Spirit, despite the play’s anachronisms of class and taste, including servants and the seemingly constant drinking of martinis.

While some of the costumes give a nod to the 1940s era they were written in, the set is fairly bland. 

Most interesting is the decision to give Charles a male partner (Rudi) instead of the second wife (Ruth) originally in the script; a change that plays remarkably well and honours the homosexuality Noël Coward was not able to acknowledge in the repressed era he lived in.

Although McDonald is certainly the highlight of the play, the rest of the cast are very good, and the pace is good.  The audience on opening night certainly enjoyed themselves and laughed heartily.

Blithe Spirit was written by Noel Coward in the middle of the second world war, offering audiences an escape during a grim time.

This production likewise offers light-hearted escapism with no need to think too hard – if you feel like you need that, this may be the play for you.