‘Blithe Spirit’ a treat at Brewster

 David Begelman

Theater Critic

While Director Debbie Levin of the Brewster Theater Company is convinced that Noel Coward’s comedy, “Blithe Spirit” was written in 1941 to distract London audiences from merciless German bombings, there may be another element in its creation .

The play is about arranging the return of Charles Condomine’s deceased wife, Elvira, from the dead with the help of a medium, Madame Arcati. It’s no secret that the British have long had a thing for spiritualism and séances, and if the avidity with which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle pursued the interest—much to the dismay of Harry Houdini—is any indication, the English appetite for the paranormal runs pretty deep.

Perhaps there’s a lesson to be learned about the departed forever haunting dark corridors of homes and castles, as in Oscar Wilde’s “The Canterville Ghost.” The conceit may be a metaphor for keeping an imperial past alive in an empire that fears the sun is fast setting on everything old and honored. And just maybe a bit of a hankering for the past is haunting “Blithe Spirit” as much as is Elvira.

The real delight in the comedy is the eccentric antics of Madame Arcarti (played with the requisite measure of ditziness by Jody Bayer in the new, enjoyable Brewster production). Her rituals preparatory to raising the dead are so outrageous, they even put off the ghost who is summoned up.

No moviegoer can forget the portrayal of Madame Arcati by the incomparable Margaret Rutherford in the 1945 David Lean film. She carried her flair for delicious dottiness into subsequent roles, like Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple.

Charles Condomine (the versatile Bruce Tredwell) arranges a séance in order to come up with material for his novel about a psychic charlatan. He and his wife Ruth (well crafted by Dianna Waller), together with Dr. George Bradman (Brian DeToma) and Mrs. Bradman (Suzanne Ochs) are confirmed disbelievers until their convictions are shattered by knockings and table shakings during the séance.

To the surprise of all except Madame Arcati, these premonitory signs leave everyone visibly shaken, just like their séance table. The Condomine maid, Edith (Kristen T. Casey) seems to be especially vulnerable to the goings on, reacting to them as though panic attacks were coming around every corner. 

 The comedic thrust of “Blithe Spirit” are the complications that ensue as Charles has to deal simultaneously with the wraith of his dead wife and the wrath of his living one. Since Ruth doesn’t see Elvira, Charles is at his wit’s end convincing her of her presence, and things get to be short of the breaking point as comments meant for Elvira are taken to heart by Ruth who feels they are directed at her.

The dialogue is enlivened by the customary sharpened wit we have long come to expect from Noel Coward, although the three-act play has a running time of three hours with short intermissions, a virtual red-flag in overdoing a good thing.

“Blithe Spirit” runs through April 28 at Brewster Theater Company, Melrose School, 120 Federal Road, Brewster. Performances are Friday and Saturday 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 adults and $13 seniors and students, and may be purchased by calling the box office at 845-598-1621 or online at www.brewstertheater.org.