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<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><b style><span style="color:windowtext">BLITHE
SPIRIT…</span></b><span style="color:windowtext">Nöel</span><b style><span style="color:windowtext"> Coward at his delightful best</span></b></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">Roy Berko</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:windowtext">(Member, American Theatre Critics
Association and Cleveland Critics Circle)</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">Nöel</span><span style="color:windowtext">
Coward is noted as being one of the most creative dramatists, writers, composers,
lyricist, painters and wit of the Western World.<span style> </span>In fact, through his creations he is noted for virtually
inventing the concept of “Englishness.” It has been noted that, “he was defined
by his Englishness as much as he defined it.”</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">From the early to mid-twentieth century, on both
sides of the “pond,” Coward was so much a high level creator of wit and humor
that he was dubbed “The Master.”</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">Everything about Coward was classy.<span style> </span>Interestingly, he was not born into the
upper class, but, even though the early 1900s in England was a very
class-conscious society, through determination and charm, Coward earned entry
into the choicest of circles.</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">He once said, “I am determined to travel through
life first class.”<span style> </span>To enhance this
image, he often wore lavish dressing gowns, a costume necessity for his play’s
leading men.</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">He spoke with a distinctive clipped diction and staccato
type of speech because his mother was deaf and this helped her to hear him
better.<span style> </span>That sound is woven into
many of the leading male roles in his plays, roles he often played on
stage.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">BLITHE SPIRIT, a 1941 escapist comedy, is one of
Coward’s most popular plays.<span style> </span>It
centers on Charles Condomine, a socialite and novelist.<span style> </span>Condomine is married to Ruth, his
second wife.<span style> </span>As the basis for a
new book he is writing on clairvoyance, he invites Madame Arcati, an eccentric
medium, to conduct a séance.<span style>
</span>Chaos breaks loose when Charles’ dead wife, Elvira, is summoned.<span style> </span>She arrives, causes mayhem, and refuses
to leave.<span style> </span>Hysteria and plot twists
and turns, as only Coward can conceive them, become the rule of the day.</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">Coward, the consummate wordsmith, creates instances
that are pure delight.<span style> </span>His plays
need little in the way of directorial invention.<span style> </span>The words and the situations develop into humor and move the
story right along.</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">Great Lakes Theater’s BLITHE SPIRIT is quite humorous.<span style> </span>Unfortunately, due to a casting glitch
and some slow pacing, it is not as riotous as it could be.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">Director Charles Fee, the local king of farce, adds
his own twists by adding some funny shticks such as exaggerating the line
descriptions for the actions of Edith, the hyperactive maid, but also playing
other scenes for guffaws, rather than allowing Coward’s ironic humor to emerge.</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">The lead women in the cast are strong.<span style> </span>Maggie Kettering is properly uptight as
second wife Ruth.<span style> </span>The beautiful
Shanara Gabrielle is right on target as the dead, young, and modern first wife,
Elvira.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">Lauri Birmingham totally understands how to create
Coward.<span style> </span>She plays Madam Arcati
straight, allowing the master’s lines to incite the humor.<span style> </span>The only thing that distracts are some
dancing around stage movements, which were added for farcical delight. </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">Jodi Dominick is hysterical as Edith.<span style> </span>Even in places where farce replaces
comedy, she is <span style> </span>capable of being
laughed with, not at.</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">Aled Davies and Molly McGinnis are character right
as Dr. Bradman and Mrs. Bradman, house guests for the séance.</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">Eric Damon Smith mugs, sneers, and bares his teeth
as Charles, thus nearly destroying the character written by Coward.<span style> </span><span style> </span>The overacting detracts, rather than enhances.</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">Russell Metheny’s<span style> </span>elegant set design, Kim Drumm Sorenson’s costumes and Rick
Martin’s lighting all work well.</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext">As with plays of its era, BLITHE SPIRIT is 3-acts.<span style> </span>With two intermissions it runs around 2
and one-half hours.</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><i style><span style="color:windowtext">Capsule judgement: Nöel
Coward’s BLITHE SPIRIT is one of those magical epics that delights audiences.<span style> </span>Great Lakes Theater is blessed with
some excellent female leads who help make the show a smile fest, though it
should have been the laugh fest created by the master. </span></i><span style="font-size:10pt;color:windowtext"></span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:6pt"><i style><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style";color:windowtext">Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews
from 2001 through 2013, can be found at <span style><span style><a href="http://www.royberko.info">www.royberko.info</a></span></span>. His reviews
and commentary can also be found on <span style><span style><a href="http://www.coolcleveland.com">www.coolcleveland.com</a></span></span> and
www.NeOHIOpal, Broadwaynews.com and ArtsAmerica.org.</span></i><span style="color:windowtext"></span></p>
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