Blithe Spirit (Theatre Royal)

First produced in 1941, it’s not difficult to understand why Noel Coward‘s Blithe Spirit broke West End records during its original run. Britain was deeply ensconced in WWII and London, in particular, was still shaking from the Blitz. Blithe Spirit‘s fast pace and general sense of gaiety and silliness would have surely served as a welcome distraction from the day-to-day hardships of living through the War.

It could also be argued that the story of a sceptical novelist inadvertently being forced to live with the ghost of his ex-wife may have offered, albeit in a frivolous way, some comfort to those trying to come to terms with the enormous loss being experienced by the country as a whole.

So, over 70 years on from that historical context, how does Blithe Spirit stand up today? There is no doubt that the source material is extremely light and there is little director Damian Cruden can do to change this. Of course, there is no reason why he should have to. Indeed, with a play as slight as this, the only course of action is to embrace it and this is what Cruden and his cast do.

Andrew Hall embodies this sense of lightness as Charles, a man with a worrying habit of killing off wives. Using his wiry frame to good effect, he skips and glides around Nigel Hook‘s luscious, deep set, at times evoking the graceful movements of Fred Astaire.

Conversely, Nichola McAuliffe gives a robust and boisterous, though no less nimble, performance as the eccentric medium Madame Arcati. She rampages around the stage with total commitment and deservedly garners a lot of the big laughs.

Caroline Harker also excels as the put-upon second Mrs. Condomime. She handles a very wordy part, and certain props that at times appear unexpectedly possessed, with great skill.

All in all this production is amusing without being hilarious, enjoyable without being remarkable, but, as Cruden points out in his programme notes, running alongside Caryl Churchill‘s A Number in the Studio it does demonstrate York Theatre Royal’s well-considered programme that clearly strives to offer something for everyone.

Blithe Spirit continues at York Theatre Royal until 31 May.