Edith: Lindsay Dean
Ruth: Moira Squier
Charles: Steven Kirk
Dr. Bradman: Stan Brown
Mrs. Bradman: Colleen Eiding
Madame Arcati: Marty McCambridge
Elvira: Tara Price
Another fine job! 'Blithe Spirit' Truly Has Soul
By Jane Acton
Noel Coward's spirit was alive and well in the Lincoln Stegman Theatre's production of Blithe Spirit (directed by Bradley T. Bornemann and produced by Deborah Johnsen and Steven Kirk) this past Saturday night.
Webster's translation of "blithe spirit" is: "A happy and carefree soul," and no doubt this was the case for this well-planned and brilliantly executed local theatre production. May I also add that the Elate group that presents such well-known programs operates with the due diligence of Broadway or the West End in London, and never seems to compromise to local theatre mentality.
This classic masterpiece is a reminder of an old adage, which goes something like, "Marriage, as its veterans know well, is the continuous process of getting used to things you hadn't expected," and indeed the character of Charles Condomine (Steven Kirk) gets more than he bargained for when he allows an insufferable Madame Arcati (Marty McCambridge) to conjure and summon the saucy, sensual and sassy spirit of his first wife, Elvira (no relation to the fabled Halloween character), played by Tara Price, to taunt and flirt and frustrate the hell out of his second wife, Ruth (Moira Squier). All of this supernatural mayhem, fun and frolic is witnessed by Dr. and Mrs. Bradman (Stanley Brown and Colleen Kelly-Eiding, respectively). And, as any proper British household would have, there is always the chief know-it-all, a.k.a. the maid, Edith (handsomely portrayed by the animated Lindsay Dean).
Needless to say, Noel Coward's absolutely voracious appetite for a stunning and ambitious command of the English vernacular is alone worth a visit to this show for an experience that would upset even the best of an English major on Jeopardy. The forthright and clever dialogue represents a state of sagacity and verbal adroitness that received timely laughs at just the right prompts and cues. This only reveals that this audience was very much attuned to the delectable humor and tongue-in-cheek wit of our late, great playwright. When poor Charles becomes the suffering object of two women's affections and "undying" attention, the trouble that ensues is beyond belief ... campy at times, but supremely and vicariously fantasized by every female in the audience. I say this because, oddly enough, the female spectators were laughing at all the right lines, while their male companions were speculating on how they in fact would handle such a comical predicament. In the end, both his wives end up together on the Other Side, and it's then that another old saying kicks in, "A good cure for the critical spirit is an honest look at ourselves ... not others," and that is when the master of the house is left to ponder his heart, his fate and his "astral bigamy."
The level of thespian integrity of this dynamic cast goes without saying; they each lived up to their theatre group's name ELATE: Excellence, Laughs, Animated, Tantalizing, Entertaining. Each performer gave a winning interpretation of Mr. Coward's intentions and I give this performance six stars, for each and every one shone with a light that would even blind the most heavenly spirit.
The play runs August 8, 9, 10, 15 and 16 at the Lincoln Steadman Theatre at 6020 Radford Ave. in North Hollywood. Information can be attained by calling the ELATE hotline at (818) 509-0882
