Directed by Johnny McKnight. Written by Noel Coward. Produced by Perth Theatre 2013
In need of inspiration for his next book, novelist Charles Condomine and his wife Ruth hire the services of eccentric psychic Madame Arcati. They are hoping for an evening of high spirits, but when the madcap mystic accidentally brings Charles’s first wife, Elvira, back from beyond the grave, life – and the afterlife – become very complicated indeed.
Part thriller, part farce, part domestic drama, yet always funny, Blithe Spirit offers the audience a thoroughly spirited evening, but also asks… does first love ever die? Are there ever only two people in a marriage? What if your past sets up camp in your house and stubbornly refuses to leave?
Noël Coward’s sharp wit, piercing eye for relationships and unforgettable characters have made him one of the truly great comic writers of British theatre with classic plays including Private Lives, Hay Fever and Present Laughter. When first produced, Blithe Spirit became the most successful show the West End and Broadway had ever seen and has since proved enduringly popular and enjoyable – a true classic.
REVIEWS
**** Sometimes it takes a new generation of theatre-makers to seize hold of a classic text, and reveal it in a different light. THE SCOTSMAN
johnny mcknight - writer and director 