Stage Review - Blithe Spirit (Bremerton Community Theatre)

Stage Review - Blithe Spirit
Presented By: Bremerton Community Theatre - Bremerton, WA
Show Run: November 01 - November 24, 2024
Date Reviewed: Sunday, November 17, 2024
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

Well, as we approach the end of November, I have officially embarked on this year’s version of last season’s Cabaret, Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit. Last season, I took in three different productions of the 1966 musical, in Tacoma, on Bainbridge Island, and in Olympia. When there are multiple versions of the same show being produced in the one season, it makes one wonder, but in the case of Cabaret, it seemed pretty clear to me how timeless and timely that particular musical was and is, given the current social and political climate in America. And with Bremerton Community Theatre’s (BCT) production of Blithe Spirit, which runs through November 24, it marks the first of three productions of the 1941 comedic farce that I’ll be taking in over the next few months, the next in two short weeks at Seattle Rep, and then in February at SecondStory Rep in Redmond. So, what makes each of these theaters inclined to choose this particular play in this particular season? Unlike Cabaret, Blithe Spirit has nothing to do with politics and there is no connection to the current social divide that we’re all feeling. Coward wrote the play after his London flat had been destroyed during World War II, so perhaps a play that was written in a time of global unrest is sought out in another time of similar situation. The play tells the story of widowed socialite and author Charles Condomine, who invites a medium to his house to conduct a séance so that he can gather material for his next book. When the séance goes wrong and his ex-wife is accidentally conjured, haunting only him, the confusion drives a wedge between Charles and his new wife Ruth as he tries to make sense of having both of his wives in the room at the same time, though ex-wife Elvira, in spirit form, can only be seen, heard, and spoken to by Charles. Coward himself has described Blithe Spirit as an “improbable farce in three acts”, and while the idea of three acts implies that the play is long, and it is, clocking in at about three hours, it’s so funny, so well written and constructed, and the BCT production, directed by Trina Williamson, so well performed that it doesn’t feel anywhere close to that.

As the play begins, the audience is introduced to Charles (James Evans) and wife Ruth (Arianna Wells), along with their maid Edith (Jillian Maynard). Jillian provides the first dose of comedy as the maid who is always in a hurry, whether out of nervousness or enthusiasm, she is like a veritable dervish running between the drawing room, front door and kitchen, though she’s extra cautious carrying her service items. Charles and Ruth prepare for the arrival of their guests, friends Dr. George Bradman (Peter Taffe) and his wife Violet (Ann Sveen), with a drink or two and by discussing Charles’ first wife Elvira, a conversation that turns into a rumination about which wife is has better physical attributes. Soon after the Bradmans arrive, the host of the event, Madame Arcati (Becky Eastgard) arrives, the eccentric, flamboyantly dressed medium that Charles really doesn’t take seriously, but thinks can provide some input for his upcoming book. As the group sits around the table, hand in hand, Madame Arcati turns out the lights, puts a record on the phonograph, Irving Berlin’s Always, then proceeds to invoke the spirit world through a series of chants and incantations, before literally passing out, then, upon waking, breaks the party up and leaves believing that she was unsuccessful in reaching anyone the members of the household care about in the afterlife. It’s not long before Charles becomes aware that Madame Arcati wasn’t so unsuccessful, when who should appear in his drawing room, but the ghost of his ex-wife Elvira. Charles is the only one who can see, or hear, Elvira, and his ex-wife’s appearance also means that she’s trapped there as well. Ruth doesn’t believe that spirit Elvira is in the house, and Elvira takes advantage of this by wreaking havoc on the couple until she just about drives both of them crazy. Charles and Ruth bring Madame Arcati back to try and get Elvira returned to the spirit world, to no avail, so the ghost begins to take matters into her own hands, turning the comedy into a tragedy, and then back into a comedy again. It is, after all, an improbable farce in three acts.

Comedies such as this do rely a lot on their ensembles, their interactions, and their work together to achieve a level of success, but in Blithe Spirit, there’s more of a chance for individuals to shine, and the cast that Trina has put together does just that. For James Evans, as Charles, this is his first chance to lead a show, and what has been nice to see over the past few years is the culmination of various roles leading up to this one, each a little different, each a little more challenging, but usually showcasing his ability as a character actor. Not here, though. In Blithe Spirit, James proves he’s got the chops to carry a show as a lead. Case in point, there is a scene, shortly after James’ Charles encounters the ghost of Elvira, where he’s leaning against the fireplace in the drawing room, having just lit a cigarette, contemplating what is happening, and just the way he’s standing, the angle at which he’s leaning, and the expression on his face, the earnestness of his expression, it shows a maturity in James’ acting that he carries through the rest of his performance. James grasps the timing of his character’s delivery nicely to elicit the humor of the situation, and he steers Charles expertly through his story arc. His performance isn’t perfect, there are times in which he begins to react to another actor’s line before the line is completed, more anticipating what the other character is saying, or just from knowing the dialogue, and his accent isn’t entirely consistent throughout, but on the whole, and considering the sheer amount of dialogue that James carries, this is an extremely strong performance. On the former, reactions can be challenging, knowing what the other actor is saying, and knowing what your reaction is going to be, but instead of letting it happen naturally, sometimes it’s easy to just anticipate it. And on the latter, I found that consistently across the cast on Sunday, which is a characteristic of shows and casts without a dialect coach. Actors sometimes focus on certain vowels or word sounds to reflect an accent, while not embodying the entirety of the dialect. That leads to accents not being consistently applied throughout. But I’ll admit, I’m being a bit nit-picky here. Neither of these affect the impact of James’ performance. Arianna as Ruth is also excellent and what I like about her performance is the emotional range that she displays with this character. Arianna’s Ruth is confused, angry, resolved, calm, and frustrated, sometimes all in one scene. One scene in particular stands out in Arianna’s performance, when her Ruth is having a conversation later in the play with Madame Arcati. The emotion that Arianna shows here is exactly what I like to see from actors on stage, where nothing is held back, it’s such a wonderful thing to see. I’ve always liked her stage presence in other roles, but Arianna takes full advantage of the opportunity to stand out here in Blithe Spirit. The Bradmans, Dr. George and Violet are in more of a supporting role here, but their characters are funny and also played well by Peter and Ann. Ann has a knack for delivering humor in a show like this, she does so with a lot of joy, and Peter is solid, though some of his line delivery felt deliberate at times during Sunday’s matinee, though more toward the beginning of the show, it seemed better as he warmed up.

Once Elvira comes to call, the audience gets to see Ashley Duffy as the pot stirring ghost, and she certainly is good in this role. Ashley’s Elvira floats across the room as you’d expect a ghost would, but it’s in her personality where the portrayal shines. She’s cutting and sarcastic, loves confusing Ruth by talking to Charles and making him talk back to her and forcing him to say things that Ruth thinks are for her and that are not so nice. Out of everyone, though, and especially comedically, it’s Becky Eastgard who steals the show, as Madame Arcati. Arcati is eccentric, flamboyant, and all over the board. If she wasn’t someone who talks to the dead, you might think she’s downright crazy. And Becky is just phenomenal and hilarious. She’s funny in all aspects of her performance, and on Sunday even had some of the cast struggling to keep it together. This performance is one of the funniest of the season for sure, and as such one of the more memorable.

From the design aspect, other than a few finishing details, like some unfinished baseboards on the back wall of the set, or some larger gaps in the seams in the corners of the room, I like what Trina and her team have done here. She worked with Ta’Mara Bale and Tom McElroy on the set design, and the way that they’ve constructed the drawing room set, with the walls angled out providing the perspective of size is nicely done. The furniture and other props (add MJ Jordan to credit list here) are suitably placed and aligned with the time period of the story. They’ve all done some pretty special things with French doors and props to provide the idea of the supernatural. At the same time, Kevin Matthew’s light and sound designs are solid in support of the story, especially how his illumination changes when Elvira shows up, subtle but substantive. The highlight for me in the creative space is in the costumes, designed here by the team of Kristen Bradberry, Amy Fancher, and Ta’Mara Bale. The design ranges from solid, with the tuxedoes that Charles and Dr. Bradman wear, to exquisite, like the dresses that Arianna’s Ruth and Ann’s Violet wear, with Ruth’s always accessorized beautifully, and then to the flamboyant attire worn by Becky’s Madame Arcati, including the best pair of shoes on stage, her green and blue pair to match her wild green dress. The costumes are all wonderfully designed, and this includes the ghost attire for Ashley’s Elvira. And special mention to Kimberly Delmendo for the ghost makeup worn by Ashley. Kimberly has turned Ashley into a pasty, pale, spirit with a skin color that matches the lavender in her dress, very nicely done.

Noel Coward wrote Blithe Spirit during a time of global unrest, at the onset of World War II. As we continue to exist in our own period of unrest, we look to get out of Coward’s story what he put into it, a little distraction from what is happening in the world around us. Thankfully, his story, about an author whose research for his new book goes awry after summoning the spirit of his ex-wife in a séance is a welcome distraction, a well constructed and extremely funny ghost story that in the Bremerton Community Theatre production is delivered by a cast, under the direction of Trina Williamson, that understands how to present this farce in the way the author intended.

Blithe Spirit runs on stage at Bremerton Community Theatre through November 24. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://www.bctshows.com/. Note that the show runs approximately 3 hours, including one 5 minute break and one 15 minute intermission.