Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward (Bakersfield Community Theater)

Hey, it is spooky season again, and that means local theaters are putting on macabre plays for the amusement of all. 

 

Noel Coward is one of those playwrights that I knew of, but had never had the chance to see one of his plays live. Thus, I was thrilled when BCT put this one on their performance list for this year. I mean, British humor, dry and dark, a seance gone wrong, feuding ghosts, and a bunch of poisonous barbs - what’s not to like?

 

Writer Charles Condomine is researching his next book, and decides to hold a seance at his home in order to “get the atmosphere right.” He is a skeptic, as is Dr. Bradman, his friend, who will also be attending the seance with their respective wives. Leading the seance is Madam Arcati, arguably the world’s most incompetent medium. 

 

While Madam Arcati talks a good game, it seems she hasn’t been able to conjure up much over her career, at least since a childhood manifestation that may or may not have been due to her efforts. But, she is ever optimistic, and eager to report her experiences to the Society. 

 

Well, things go wrong. Charles and Dr. Bradman can barely keep a straight face before the event, but Charles soon has his skepticism wiped away. The table starts shaking, and he hears the voice of his deceased first wife, Elvira. No one else can hear it, however. 

 

It turns out that the seance has somehow summoned a manifestation of Elvira, which only Charles can see and hear, and she is not particularly happy that he has remarried. As they say, hilarity ensues. 

 

While antagonizing Charles and his second wife, Ruth, Elvira causes great havoc. Eventually, she schemes to reunite with Charles. By killing him, of course. But this too goes wrong, and Ruth ends up the victim. 

 

So now, Charles wants to get rid of Elvira. But, all that Madam Arcati seems able to do is to make Ruth manifest as well. So now Charles is haunted by two feuding wives who hate each other, and loathe him as well. 

 

Obviously, this is a setup ripe with opportunities for some really dark humor, including some biting satire of dysfunctional marriages, some laughs at the expense of spiritualism, and the inherent physical comedy of ghosts that only some characters can see. 

 

Unfortunately, there are a few moments where the play (debuted in 1941) shows its age. There are a few jokes about domestic violence, gender stereotypes, and a few mean ones at the expense of servants. BCT made the decision to present the play without modification, which I think is a defensible choice. For one thing, the characters are who they are, and that means they have their faults. Charles’ sexism is like Elvira’s pettiness or Ruth’s manipulative jealousy. 

 

What is great about this play is the way that Coward treats mortality with the kind of frivolous and ironic tone that Oscar Wilde showed toward convention. It is delightfully flippant, with the tongue always in the cheek. That this play debuted at the height of World War Two, and less than a year after the devastation of the Battle of Britain was serious huevos. Perhaps also a microcosm of the British response to an existential threat to national existence. Laughing in the face of death is, perhaps, one of the most intriguing facets of human nature. If we cannot laugh, could we cry? And could we bear our own existence? 

 

This particular production was outstanding in every facet. The casting somehow seemed perfect, exactly how I would have imagined the characters to be. In particular, Natalie Underwood as the poisonous and exuberant Elvira owned her scenes. Truly the ghost from hell. But also, spot-on acting from Xian (Charles), Rebecca Worley (Ruth), Lindsay Pearson (Edith), Patrick Carrick (Dr. Bradman), Janice Bondurant (Violet), and definitely Heather McCarthy as the hilarious Madame Arcati. All the personalities came through, and the chemistry between the cast members was excellent. I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Also, a shout-out to the set, prop, sound, and lighting folks; and the directors. I found it well thought out from start to finish. 

Ruth (Rebecca Worley) and Charles (Xian)

Madame Arcati (Heather McCarthy) and Edith (Lindsay Pearson)

Madame Arcati (Heather McCarthy), Elvira (Natalie Underwood), Charles (Xian)

Violet Bradman (Janice Bondurant) and Dr. Bradman (Patrick Carrick)

 

 

***

 

Just a few comments on Noel Coward. During his lifetime, he was often considered to be a second-rate artist - too popular for his own good. In retrospect, his works have proven to be lasting and better than originally thought. Also, the range he showed was pretty amazing, between the songwriting and the comedies, he was hardly a one-trick pony. 

 

I also found fascinating the complexity of his political views. On the one hand, he is considered fairly conservative. But on the other, he was literally on the list of people the Nazis were planning to kill after they invaded Britain. Which is quite the compliment, and he was proud of that fact. 

 

These days, everyone knows he was gay, but he refused to talk about it during his lifetime. He once quipped "There are still a few old ladies in Worthing who don't know." Male homosexuality was still criminal in Britain at the time, of course, so that may have been one reason for his reticence. That was the way of things back in the day: everyone knew, but nobody talked about it.