Noel Coward's Classic Comedy to Be Staged at the Questors
Blithe Spirit is the first playhouse show of the new season
The ghost of ex-wife Elvira plays havoc with the Condomine marriage. Picture: Robert Vass
September 12, 2024
The Questors Theatre is to stage a production of Noël Coward’s classic comedy Blithe Spirit.
Perhaps best known to many from David Lean’s classic 1945 film featuring Rex Harrison, Constance Cummings, Kay Hammond and Margaret Rutherford, the play has also been a staple in theatres across the country for decades. This play had a record-breaking first run in the West End of 1997 performances. The Times called it “Coward's masterpiece: his most complete success in imposing his own view of things on the brute facts of existence.”
The screenplay by Lean, cinematographer Ronald Neame and associate producer Anthony Havelock-Allan, is based on Noël Coward's 1941 play of the same name, the title of which is derived from the line "Hail to thee, blithe Spirit! Bird thou never wert" in the poem "To a Skylark" by Percy Bysshe Shelley. The song "Always", written by Irving Berlin, is an important plot element in "Blithe Spirit". The film features Kay Hammond and Margaret Rutherford, in the roles they created in the original production, along with Rex Harrison and Constance Cummings in the lead parts.
It is running at The Questors from 27 September to 5 October and is the first playhouse show of the new season and is directed by duo Francesca McInally and Francis Lloyd.
Set in the comfortable home of novelist Charles Condomine, the action in Blithe Spirit unfolds as Charles invites the quirky and eccentric medium, Madame Arcati, to conduct a séance as research for his next book. However, the evening takes an unexpected turn when the séance conjures up the ghost of Charles' late first wife, Elvira, who is determined to disrupt his current marriage to Ruth. As Elvira’s mischievous presence wreaks havoc, Charles is caught in a hilarious tug-of-war between his two wives.
Alex Marker, Artistic Director, says, "Blithe Spirit is a masterclass in comic timing and clever storytelling. In the lead up to Coward’s 125th birthday in December, enjoyment of his plays just keeps growing. Fittingly, our theatre’s President, Dame Judi Dench starred in the most recent movie adaptation of Blithe Spirit, so we're thrilled to bring this timeless gem to our audience, offering both laughter and a little bit of ghostly magic."
All performances are at 7.45pm except Sunday 29 September when it takes place at 2:30pm and there is no show on Monday 30 September.
Tickets which cost from £10 to £24 for Blithe Spirit are available on The Questors Theatre website and from The Questors box office on 020 8567 5184 or boxoffice@questors.org.uk.
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