24th to 26th November & 29th November to 3 December 2005
Directed by Damon Wakelin
A boisterously, joyously theatrical classic from the pen of a quintessentially English wit.
A séance, held by eccentric clairvoyant. Madame Arcati, leads to the most unusual and unlikely ménage a trois in the history of the stage.
"Anything might happen when I am in a trance." ... Madame Arcati
Noel Coward was an actor, playwright and composer who produced some of the most popular and enduring writing of any Englishman during the 20th Century.
Born on 16th December, Noel was so named because of the date's proximity to Christmas. (Spelling his forename Noël – with the diaeresis – was an affectation he acquired in later life.) Coward's first professional performance was in 1911 at only 12 years of age in the children's play The Goldfish. He appeared in many other child's roles and into his 20s learned techniques in acting and playwriting from Charles Hawtrey. His first full–length play was "I'll Leave It To You", an inheritance comedy, in which he stared in 1920, but "The Vortex" (1924) was the play that made his name both in the UK and the US.
Throuought the 20s and 30s Coward's output was prolific including both plays (many of which he also starred in) and popular music which led to a recording contract with HMV. When World War II broke out he undertook several tours to entertain the allied troops, but also began work for MI5 (the British Secret Service). His play–writing also continued; Blithe Spirit was written in 1941 and again, Coward starred in it when it was first produced and when it was formed into a 'triple–bill' offering with two of his other plays ("This Happy Breed" and "Present Laughter") London box-office records were set which were not broken until the 1970's.
In the 1950's Coward continued writing new plays, but could not match the sucess of his earlier writing with either audiences or critics. However film appearances (including in "Around the World in 80 Days" and "The Italian Job") kept him in the public eye. A number of later plays including Waiting in the Wings (1960) saw a return to his earlier sucess and many of his earlier plays enjoyed sucessfull revivals.
Noel Coward's personal life was often a cause of discomfort for him. His homosexuality was someting he never acknowledged publically, although he never married, and had a relationship with Graham Payn, a stage and film actor, which lasted for nearly 30 years until his death. During the war he came under fire for what was seen as a glamorous and luxurious lifestyle and lack of contribution to the war effort, and was frustrated that he was unable to reveal the work he undertook for the secret service. He left the UK in the late 1950s to live in the Caribbean, largely for tax reasons. In 1970 he received a Knighthood for his contribution to the theatre. Towards the end of his life is suffered from severe arthritis and bouts of memory loss, and he died in Jamacia in 1973.
His legacy to the theatre includes over 50 published plays, dozens of original songs, comic revues, poetry, several volumes of short stories, a novel ("Pomp and Circumstance", 1960), and three volumes of autobiography. He won an honorary Oscar for the film "In Which We Serve", a naval drama file which he wrote, co-directed and starred in, and a special Tony award for Lifetime Achievement in 1971
Noel Coward wrote Blithe Spirit during a stay at Portmeirion in 1941, after his London office and apartment had been destroyed in the Blitz. Coward felt the public would want something amusing and escapist during the dark days of the war, when Russia and the USA had yet to join forces with the Allies. It took him only 7 days to write, and despite poor reviews by the critics proved a hit with the public and was performed nearly 2000 times during it’s first run.
The title is taken from Shelley’s poem "To a Skylark"
Our hero, Charles Condomine, is a writer who invites Madame Arcarty, a medium, to conduct a seance in his house in the hope of gathering material for his next book. To his great annoyance she succeeds in summoning the spirit of his tempremental first wife. Worse still, his present wife cannot see or hear the ghost.
Coward adapted the play to be filmed in 1954 and the film featured many of the original stage actors, including Margaret Rutherford.
| Edith, a maid | Emma Skinner |
| Ruth | Vicky Hayter |
| Charles | Mark Wakeman |
| Doctor Bradman | Jaspar Utley |
| Mrs Bradman | Sharman Callan |
| Madame Arcati | Sue Dawes |
| Elvira | Gemma Harrison |
| Director | Damon Wakelin |
I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.
Television is for appearing on - not for looking at.
The higher the buildings, the lower the morals.