Blithe Spirit (Oldham and Tour)

It is widely known that Noel Coward wrote Blithe Spirit in only 5 days and in the run up to the plays original London production only two lines of dialogue were removed. This,
coupled with its original run of 1,997 consecutive performances, is
testament to the quality of Cowards writing, and its enduring
popularity is evident in its frequent global productions.

This new production in Oldham certainly doesn’t disappoint and
remains true to Cowards indisputably intended frivolous spirit of the
piece. All the elements gel together well to create a highly
entertaining evening at the theatre.

The story begins in the home of Charles Condomine (Mark Healy) and
his second wife Ruth (Emily Pithon).  With their friends Dr and Mrs
Bradman (Christopher Wilkinson and Roberta Kerr) they invite, in the
spirit of jest and scepticism, local medium Madame Arcati (Alwyn
Taylor) to the house to perform a séance.  During the course of the
séance Madame Arcati inadvertently summons the spirit of Charles’ first
wife Elvira (Amy Hall) setting the scene for huge amounts of ghostly
farce, jealousy with murderous intent and further outrageous séances
leading to a brilliantly staged conclusion.

All the cast are excellent and work well together as an ensemble.
Liz Carney as Edith, the Condomine’s maid, is amusing in her awkward
manner and is blessed with one of the funniest lines in act three which
she delivers tremendously well.  Healy and Pithon as the husband and
wife team share excellent chemistry and Pithon in particular shows real
versatility.  Their ghostly scenes with Hall are very clever. Kerr and
Wilkinson also play their underwritten supporting characters well, but
the show is well and truly stolen by Taylor portraying Madame Arcati as
truly eccentric and dotty. Her energetic and over the top performance
is a sheer delight and worth the entrance price alone.

Credit is due to Director Robin Herford who ensures that the long
play moves along at breakneck speed and never sags for a moment but I
do feel he could have explored some of the comic possibilities a little
further as I felt that the whole evening should have been funnier that
it actually was.

The set by Michael Hold bears more than a striking resemblance to the set for the Coliseum’s preceding production Quartet
but is nevertheless highly effective, especially during the final
scene. It is also excellently lit by Thomas Weir whose lighting design
proves integral to creating the right atmosphere.

Blithe Spirit is only on for another three weeks so I would advise
booking your seats fast. It is a solid production that deserves to do
well and proves, once again, that the Oldham Coliseum is a thriving
centre for top class regional theatre.

-Malcolm Wallace