Actors Tori Hutchinson and Jacob Hall go through their lines during a recent rehearsal for Theatre Oxford's production of Blithe Spirit. Photo by Ashley Charles.
by Joe Atkins
Be careful what spirits you call forth from the netherworld. They may decide to hang around. That’s a lesson Charles Condomine learned in Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit, which Theatre Oxford will produce at the Powerhouse October 18–19, 2024.
“Her spiritual integrity … was nil,” Condomine laments to his wife Ruth as they discuss his late first wife Elvira. He and Ruth are going to learn soon just how “nil” when the medium Madama Arcati opens an invisible door to the spirit world during a dinner party séance. Elvira comes through that door with all the unworldly power she can muster to wreak havoc with her successor and their shared husband.
Directed by Jackie Daniels with Gavin Lane serving as stage manager, Theatre Oxford’s Blithe Spirit provides audiences with a rollicking ghost story just in time for this coming Halloween, a ghost story full of laughs and surprises yet one also, in the words of Variety critic Matt Wolf, that is “marinated in pain.” Sponsors of the Theatre Oxford production include the Mississippi Arts Commission and Yoknapatawpha Arts Council.
Written during the London Blitz and first produced in England in 1941, Blithe Spirit has had a long history of highly successful productions both in London’s West End and on New York City’s Broadway. It has twice been converted into a film, and it has featured actors ranging from Clifton Webb and Rex Harrison to Margaret Rutherford, Geraldine Page, and Angela Lansbury. The play has received eight Tony Award nominations.
Performances take place at the Powerhouse at 7:30 pm, Friday, October 18, and at 2 pm and 7:30 pm, Saturday, October 19. Tickets will be available at the door and seats can be reserved here.
Theatre Oxford’s production of Blithe Spirit commemorates the 125th birthday of playwright Noël Coward. A tea party in his honor will be held at each intermission.
The Powerhouse is located at 413 South 14th Street in Oxford (on the corner of University Avenue). Parking is in back near the water tower. To learn more about Theatre Oxford, visit theatreoxford.org or on social media @theatreoxford.
