Blithe Spirit was written by Noel Coward in 1941 as an antidote to World War 2 and presented on the West End stage. Coward writes very much in the style of Oscar Wilde with light, whimsical repartee between the characters and his work is really a celebration of language.
This production stars Steven Arnold
(best known as Ashley Peacock from TV’s Coronation Street)as Dr Bradman, for
their annual classic comedy slot. Other cast members are Charlie Dearden (Ruth
Condomine), Franklyn Jacks (Charles Condomine ), Kathryn Chambers (Madame
Arcati), Mikyla Jane Durkan (Violet Bradman), Pearl Schomberg (Elvira) and
Ellaina Halstead (Edith).
The story shows how Charles
Condomine, an author seeking inspiration for his next novel reckons a séance would be the perfect creative experiment and inspiration
for his novel. He invites Dr. and Mrs. Bradman to his house for the séance
with Madame Arcati, but things don’t go to plan, and he gets far more than he
bargains for.
The stage set is constant
throughout portraying the drawing room of an upper class household complete
with maid, Edith, who is very nervous and rather clumsy and who frequently gets
a tongue lashing from her mistress, Ruth Condomine. The drawing room is typical
of the era with a chaise lounge, a gramophone with large brass trumpet, a
drinks trolley which gets plenty of use throughout the play with copious
alcohol consumption and lace tablecloths and potted plants.
There were a few sound issues at
the start as although seated in the fourth row I had difficulty hearing a lot
of the dialogue, especially when the actors backs were turned away from the
audience and additionally because the actors needed to speak in ‘posh’ accents
(except Madame Arcati who had a more northerly accent). Neck microphones would
have been beneficial, something I’ve mentioned in previous reviews of
productions at this theatre.
The first half set the scene but
was rather slow and laboured, consequently there were quite a few vacant seats
after the interval where audience members had decided to leave early which was
a shame as the production picked up pace in the second half.
The actors playing the two main
characters, Charlie Dearden (Ruth) and Franklyn Jacks (Charles Condomine) are
to be commended on the large amount of dialogue they managed, necessary for
their parts and Charlie Dearden was exceptional with her marvellous facial
expressions depicting the stiff upper lip of the upper classes in the day.
Pearl Schomberg, shines as the
flighty spirit of Elvira capturing the role excellently and Kathryn Chambers as Madame Arcati portrays the mystic charlatan
well.
This production brings Blithe
Spirit to life with sharp wit, supernatural surprises, and Coward’s trademark
charm.
The run finishes on 28th February, see https://hopestreettheatre.com/event/blithe-spirit-6/ for tickets and more details.
Reviewer: Anne Pritchard
On: 25th February 2026
