Triangle Arts & Entertainment review
By Susie Potter
June 7, 2014
http://triangleartsandentertainment.org/2014/06/blithe-spirit-is-a-witty-laugh-fest/
“Blithe Spirit” Is a Witty Laugh-Fest
Noël Coward’s writing is well known for its witty dialogue and quick humor, and those qualities are particularly well-evidenced in his 1941 play, Blithe Spirit, onstage now at Raleigh Little Theatre in a production directed by Tony Lea.
The play focuses on Charles (John Allore), a writer seeking inspiration for his latest story. To find that inspiration, he turns to a self-proclaimed psychic medium, Madame Arcati (Marilyn Gorman). Unfortunately for Charles and fortunately for the trajectory of the story, he gets more than he bargained for. Somehow, when Madame Arcati hosts a seance in Charles’ home, they manage to summon Elvira (Anne-Caitlin Donohue), Charles’ mischievous (and long-dead) ex-wife. His current wife, Ruth (Page Purgar), is none too happy about that, especially since she can’t actually see or hear the meddling Elvira. As one can imagine with a premise like this one, calamity ensures in this three act circus.
The gifted actors bring Coward’s well-written, time-tested banter to full and perfect life. Purgar and Allore, in particular, share a comedic chemistry that allows then to bounce their lines off one another well and send the audience into hysterics multiple times. Even when he’s on his own, Allore is at his best here, lending his ever-present physical energy to his character and successfully portraying Charles’ growing frustration with his dueling wives. Donohue also proves adept at commanding a stage. She is outwardly resplendent in her flowing ghostly garb but still manages to communicate her character’s true, vindictive nature. Using over-the-top facial expressions and a cocky strut, she turns Elvira into one of the show’s most memorable and endearing-in-spite-of-herself characters. Even the “minor” (or not-so-minor as it turns out) character of Edith, the family’s maid, is made hilarious by Izzy Burger’s portrayal. Burger’s Edith dashes and sometimes tiptoes around the stage with an undeniable vigor, rounding out this talented cast.
All of the action plays out on a well-designed house set by Thomas Mauney. The set mainly consists of a large, open living room, but behind it, doors and a hallway are visible. The open hallway allows viewers to see all of Edith’s running around and provides just enough literal depth to make the set more realistic. Impressive special effects near the end- effects which actually move pieces around this intricately designed set- also add a touch of sophistication to this production.
Blithe Spirit is a story about crossed communication, relationships, and the way our pasts inevitably carry over into our futures. Aside from all of those themes, however, it’s just plain funny. The show has a long running time- two and a half hours with two intermissions- but the time flies by thanks to the laughs and the strong writing. A definite hit for RLT.
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