At Little Theatre, An Occult Classic
Coward's 'Blithe Spirit' Is Witty Fun
Thursday, June 15, 2006; Page VA06
Little Theatre of Alexandria's production of Noel Coward's supernatural comedy "Blithe Spirit" successfully creates a certain spirit beyond the spectral presence that drives the tale.
The quaint theater on Wolfe Street tends to suggest a certain mood anyway, imparting an ambience of times past. With its chandeliers, tasteful decor, intermission punch bowl and patrons who tend to dress a bit more formally than most modern audiences, the venue evokes a gentler time. With this masterfully accomplished staging of the 1941 show, that sense is stronger than usual, making attendance similar to what it might have felt like being in a West End or Broadway audience when the play was new.
  Ruth (Barbara Raffaele) gets a shock courtesy of the apparition Elvira (Laura Russell) in the Little Theatre of Alexandria's production of "Blithe Spirit." Tom Pentecost plays a writer contending with two wives, one of them dead. (By Peter Piraneo) |
Coward makes light of ghosts and death at an English country estate in a trifle he dashed off in five days during some of the darkest moments of World War II, as bombs fell on London. Audiences loved it immediately, their spirits lifted, too.
Charles Condomine (Tom Pentecost) is researching a book, and he asks medium Madame Arcati (Frieda Enoch) to conduct a séance at a dinner party so he can soak up colorful details. With his wife, Ruth (Barbara Raffaele), and several friends present, the mystic inadvertently conjures up the spirit of Charles's deceased first wife, Elvira (Laura Russell), although only Charles can see or hear her. The devilishly playful Elvira enjoys gently tormenting him, leaving the flummoxed writer caught uncomfortably between his two wives.
Director Joe Schubert has a superb cast to work with, and he allows each actor time to delve into Coward's elegant dialogue and witty wordplay. The tendency must be to want to rush through the long opening scene as Coward meanders into the plotline. It would be flat with actors unable to bring instant depth to their roles, but Pentecost and Raffaele use Coward's words like sharp tools.
Schubert trusts his actors to savor the language as they build rich characterizations, and the result is that we spend many delightful minutes with Charles and Ruth. They gossip, prepare for their dinner party and deal with their awkward maid, Edith (Jessica Lada), creating the chemistry that a comfortable but sharp-witted married couple would plausibly have.
Pentecost develops Charles's persona as a likable but slightly arrogant man and adroitly handles his reaction to the otherworldly events and unexpected plot twists with a perfectly mixed sense of incredulity and annoyance. Raffaele luxuriates with the wordplay, each syllable calibrated so that listening to her speak and project character through dialogue becomes a sensual pleasure. Their performances are so finely tuned that the moments they share alone onstage are the best of the production.
It's all very British, and the production is aided by Peter Laager and Carol Strachan as the couple's friends, the Bradmans, until Enoch wades in as the colorful and quite eccentric spiritualist and the story takes wing. Madame Arcati is a stock comic character, but Enoch knows just how far to push it without resorting to pure slapstick and undermining the stylish ambience.
The creative and technical staffs show just as much attention to detail as the actors do, with Robert Gray's colorful country house set combining flair and practicality to complement the fanciful subtext of the play. Ken and Patti Crowley's lighting is evocative and lovely. It's appropriately eerie when it needs to be, aiding immeasurably in the ghostly special effects. Even during scene changes, special lighting is used to maintain the atmosphere.
Coward must have written the second act after several of his cocktail-filled lunches, because it lacks some of the zip of Act 1, going on far too long. But the cast gets through it with energy intact, leading to a piquant and unexpected finale. This is a thoroughly top-notch production.
"Blithe Spirit" continues through June 24 at Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe St., Alexandria. Showtime is 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. For tickets or information, call 703-683-0496 or visithttp:/
