Stage Review - Blithe Spirit (Circle of Fire Theatre / SecondStory Rep)
Stage Review - Blithe Spirit
Presented By: Circle of Fire Theatre & SecondStory Rep - Redmond, WA
Show Run: February 21 - March 09, 2025
Date Reviewed: Thursday, February 27, 2025
Run Time: 2 Hours, 45 minutes (including 15 minute intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
If you are a regular reader of our reviews here at The Sound on Stage, or if you follow us on social media, or even my own personal Facebook posts, you’re probably well aware at this point that the Blithe Spirit that is currently on stage at SecondStory Rep in Redmond, and co-produced with Circle of Fire Theatre, is the third production of the 1941 “improbable farce” that I’ve seen this season. I’ve been calling it the Cabaret of the 2024-25 season, since I saw three versions of that musical last season. So, while I don’t feel a need to go into any of the usual plot summary or historical details that I usually like to infuse my reviews with in this one, I do think it’s important to point out, in the context of the structure and plot of the play, what this version does right, or maybe what it doesn’t, which if I’m being honest isn’t much at all. If there’s a positive in seeing the play three times in such a short amount of time, five months I believe, the versions I did see have all been produced by different levels of theatre, the first being pure community theatre at Bremerton Community Theatre, the second full “Equity” at Seattle Rep, and this one, which we categorize in the “Small Professional and Community” category in our awards, shows that don’t have Actors Equity requirements, but can be made up of professional and community actors who may or may not get a stipend for their work. The Blithe Spirits that I have seen have all been very good, or excellent, and have all been unique in their own right.
This co-production, from Circle of Fire Theatre, the same group who put up Outside Mullingar at Bainbridge Performing Arts a few months ago, and SecondStory Rep, runs through March 9, and is directed by Ken Michels. It definitely leans heavily toward the excellent end of that performance spectrum. It’s designed beautifully, it’s funny, and the cast, which features Molly Hall and Jason Gingold as Ruth and Charles Condomine, Josephine Cessna as their ex-Navy maid Edith, Christopher Puckett and Colleen Gillon as Dr. Bradman and his wife, Cindy Giese French as the spiritual medium Madame Arcati, and Talena Laine as Charles’ deceased first wife, the hauntingly mischievous Elvira, delivers the piece with the right amount of energy and pace to make this Blithe Spirit entirely enjoyable.
The first thing that is noticeable about this production is the set. It’s dark, with a color palette more resembling a haunted house (think of the greens and purples of Disney’s Haunted Mansion) than what is a more typical and brightly lit manor house, laid out in a similar way to what one might see in an Agatha Christie play. Mark Chenovick’s scenic design, which includes this set, lights, and sound, is the complete package, with so much attention to detail. On the lighting side, day and night is indicated not just by shadows on the wall from the moonlight shining through the windows and French doors, but also from the opaque window in the manor’s foyer, an orange hue in the morning transitioning to violet by the evening. Other than one instance on Thursday when Madame Arcati went to turn the lights off, and only half of the sconces went out (I originally thought that’s the way it was supposed to be, until later when she did the same thing and they all turned off), all of the lighting effects are wonderfully executed, including the spotlighting of scenes that require focus when they need to. On the sound front, the entire play is underscored by music, and at a volume that is just about right, loud enough to be noticeable, and soft enough so that it’s not distracting nor does it compete with the dialogue on stage. On stage sound effects, like the lighting effects, are all well done, this includes a “magic mural”, a painting of the lady of the manor, that changes depending on which Condomine wife is leading the discourse with Charles. If you do have a chance to see the play, keep an eye on the portrait of Ruth when the French doors magically open and Elvira comes floating in. There’s also some other magical things that happen with the set, of course, but it’s the layout of it that makes this unique. The depth of the foyer, and the first few stairs that lead up, the implied dining room to stage right, and the main drawing room, decorated consistently with the show’s theming, is all well considered and utilized excellently by Ken and his Assistant Director/Stage Manager Seamus C. Smith.
The one creative piece that Mark doesn’t have his hands in, the costumes, is handled here by Jenny Dreessen, and what I like about Jenny’s work is actually the simplicity of it. There are some creative choices that Ken has made on the characterizations in this piece, and Jenny’s costumes are right in line with those. Each costume design is consistent for each character, and from a color perspective, more subdued, even on Madame Arcati. Arcati’s costumes skew eccentric, as they should, and she still resembles a gypsy to a certain extent, but they’re not over the top, just like Cindy’s performance. The exception for all of this is Elvira, of course. Elvira’s costume is bright white, almost glowing. It does seem to radiate against the dark palette of the room and in contrast to the other costumes. This design choice is simply excellent, it adds a mystical quality to the Elvira character that I really like here.
That consistency in costume with characterization is across the board. As I mentioned above, Cindy’s Madame Arcati is as odd as you’d want her to be, but she’s not overly goofy or corny, she takes herself seriously, and that’s important when delivering a comedy. Cindy plays Arcati as a genuine person, excited at the prospect of speaking with those that have crossed over, seriously upset at the idea of having caused any issues through her work, and delirious at knowing that she’s interacting with an actual spirit. These are true emotions from Arcati, and this way of playing the character suits Cindy’s acting style very well. The Condomine maid, Edith, is known for always being in a hurry, and struggling to move at a normal pace. This is pure comic relief and Josephine is very good at it. Delivering this requires a good deal of exaggeration, which she manages at every turn, including heavy footfalls to accentuate the over the top nature of her movements. As Dr. and Mrs. Bradman, Christopher and Colleen play two distinctly opposite characters, he is the snooty doctor, looking down his nose at Madame Arcati and the business she is conducting, while she is overly enthusiastic, rolling with everything, and excited about every experience. I thoroughly enjoy Colleen’s Mrs. Bradman as a contrast to the other, more seriously played characters. Her fun attitude is infectious.
Jason and Molly are excellent as Charlie and Ruth. They portray their social station very well, and Jason’s suave mannerisms are on point. Additionally, when he becomes “haunted” by his first wife, initially just hearing her voice, then seeing her, his emotions, his panic, they start to ramp up, his performance in this role leads to some very nice exchanges with Molly’s Ruth, and later between Charles, Ruth, and Elvira. While the dialogue in the opening scene of the show feels sluggish in its delivery, once the guests arrive, and after the seance, the pace in the exchanges accelerates, and as such the quality of the show. Particular conversations of note are between Molly’s Ruth and Jason’s Charles during the morning after Elvira visits for the first time, one that is spirited and very well paced, the hilarious exchange between Charles and his two ex-wives in which Ruth has no idea which he’s talking to, again one that requires the actors to be fleet of voice for it to work well, which it does, and finally, an emotional scene where Elvira and Charles talk about their marriage, that one highlighting an exceptional piece of work from Talena as his first wife.
Talena’s costume is bright, and so is her Elvira’s personality. She’s mischievous, she’s flirty, and she really doesn’t care what Ruth thinks of her. She just wants her trip back to Charles to be worth something. I like the way Talena seems to skate across the stage in the role, as if she’s floating, all of her movements flow in a way that feel mystical. Add to that her vocal delivery with an accent that just screams “I’m going to get what I want and I dare anyone, especially Ruth, to stop me”. And on the accent front, again kudos to dialect coach Marianna de Fazio. This group is very well prepared in the delivery of their accents, each different, and each maintained through the production. Finally, as the “blithe spirit” implied by the title, there are moments in the play when Elvira seems to display true emotions, and in a moment late in the show, when she’s no longer alone in the spirit world, a scene in which she herself is haunted involves a solid display of Talena’s talent in physical acting. It’s an all-around fantastical performance.
It seems like everywhere you turn this season, there’s a version of Blithe Spirit in the offing. The latest is a co-production from Circle of Fire Theatre and SecondStory Rep, and is currently running on stage in Redmond, a production that is unique in its design, dark, mysterious, and looming, and superb in its presentation, which includes a cast that understands the energy and pace that is needed to make a devilish farce like Blithe Spirit work. The result is a fun show, hauntingly good, and magnificently delivered, one that continues SecondStory’s trend of excellence and also one that is starting to cement Circle of Fire as a solid up and coming troupe in the region.
The co-production of Blithe Spirit from Circle of Fire Theatre and SecondStory Rep runs on stage in Redmond through March 9. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://www.secondstoryrep.org/.
Photo credit: Michael Brunk
