Reviews
Heather Archibald’s Elvira is pitch perfect as the playful ghost – or should that be poltergeist? – eager to be back in the world and reconnecting with her love. If only they could be together… forever. Her costumers have also outdone themselves to give her an ethereal look. Diana Renee York plays counter to Archibald’s carefree exuberance as the very serious seeming Ruth, having a hard time figuring out how to compete with a ghost.
Sarah Hearn steals the show as the exuberant village medium Madame Arcati and all around foil for Charles and company. Hearn plays the role with just the right balance of intensity and eccentricity with a touch of loopiness.
Production Details
By: Noel Coward
Director: Jim McNabb
Genre: Comedy
Running: Sept. 15 – Oct. 3, 2015
Matinee: Sept. 27
The brilliant Sir Noel’s funniest and most farcical comedy! After a séance goes awry, the spirit of Charles Condomine’s first wife Elvira returns to haunt him with designs on reclaiming her husband – much to the chagrin of his new wife. If he wants his latest marriage to stand a ghost of a chance, Charles had better conjure up a solution quickly!
About the Playright
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, well known for his wit and flamboyance in any form of expression that he set his mind to. Coward was born December 16th, 1899, in the town of Teddington, London. Coward’s upbringing was far from amiable, but with the encouragement of his mother, he discovered the seeds of his romance with theatre at the young age of seven. In the years that followed, Coward’s acting career flourished and he soon turned his focus to playwriting. At the ripe age of 20, Coward starred in his own play, the light comedy I’ll Leave It to You. The newspaper, The Observer, commented, “Mr Coward… has a sense of comedy, and if he can overcome a tendency to smartness, he will probably produce a good play one of these days.” Coward, never one to back down from criticism or acclaim, pursued his ardour and soon brought to fruition his skills, fortune and fame with his breakout play Hay Fever. The vast career that followed brought about Coward contributing his talents to entertainment during the great depression and aiding the Allies in World War II with songs and films to invigorate the souls of the soldiers and the people. One may attempt to measure Coward’s impact and influence upon the world with such works of notoriety as: Private Lives, Design for Living, Present Laughter and Blithe Spirit. However, Sir Noël Peirce Coward’s legacy is one that stretches further than witty writing. The hope and voice he brought through his work to people in their time of need is what built the true pith of legacy.
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