By JOSEPHINE NORRIS, Staff Reporter.
What would you do if your ex were to reappear in your life and would not leave you alone? That is the reality for Charles Condomine- except his ex has been dead for 7 years. Her reappearance interrupts the quiet, idyllic life he and his wife lead in a quiet English village.
Pit and Balcony’s take on this classic comedy “Blithe Spirit” by Noel Coward is delightful. Filled with laughs and plenty of unique characters, it has something for everyone.
“Blithe Spirit” is the story of Ruth and Charles Condomine and the fateful evening that they invite the eccentric medium and clairvoyant, Madame Arcati to the their home to conduct a séance: in the hopes of giving Charles material for his next book.
The séance seems to be a joke. That is until Richard’s first wife, Elvira appears in his living room after being dead for seven years. Elvira’s appearance inspires Ruth’s jealousy and as a result, great tension in Richard and Ruth’s marriage. As tensions rise, Madame Arcati is summoned once more in the hopes of sending Elvira back to where she came from. Chaos ensues as Madame Arcati works to find a way to resolve the Condomines’ dilemma, leaving Charles to juggle not only a one woman, but two.
The show may be a bit intimidating in length (about 3 hours), but this group of actors were up to the task. Amy Spadafore-Louse as Elvira was enchanting. Her characterization and approach to Elvira brought the deceased Elvira very much to life.
Spadafore-Louse and Michael Curtis (Richard Condomine) was superb and entertaining as they brought to light buried secrets of their lives together. Another stand out of the cast was Lucy Malacos as the whimsical, eccentric and bike traveling Madame Arcati. Her quirky characterizations of this medium who really doesn’t know what she is doing were perfect.
Set in the 1920s, period costumes are a must for this show and the costume team did a wonderful job. Every costume was beautiful and perfect for the characters. Madame Arcati’s costume especially made me want to go home, twist my hair up, wear a shawl and numerous strands of pearls around my neck.
The special effects of the show truly sent shivers up my spine as doors would open and close seemingly on their own. It truly added to the spooky and ghostly aspects of the show.
Overall, this is a great production of the classic play, “Blithe Spirit.” It has all the elements of a great evening at the theater: an entertaining story, a talented cast, beautiful costumes and set.
“Blithe Spirit” at Pit and Balcony runs March 20, 21, 27, and 28 at 8 p.m. and March 22 and 29 at 3p.m. Tickets are available online at pitandbalconytheater.com or by calling the box office at 989-754-6587.
