Michelle Giroux (photo by David Hou)
High Spirits!
Stratford’s opening week ends with a triumph
by Stuart Munro
@StuartMunroTO
My week at Stratford has come to an end, and what an ending! The festival’s new production of Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit, directed by Brian Bedford, has all the fast-paced biting wit one would expect, and is presented with all the skill one hopes to see on stage at every outing.
In short, Blithe Spirit tells the story of Charles Condomine; his wife, Ruth; the psychic medium, Madame Arcati; and a seance gone horribly, horribly wrong. Over the three hours of the play, Charles must learn to deal with the unexpected result of that meeting and the following consequences.
Leading the company is festival perennial Ben Carlson. His dry wit, acerbic manner, and physical comedy make it clear that he is just as at home with Coward as he is with Schiller’s Mary Stuart – one would hardly recognize him between the two roles, so complete is the transformation. The same is true of Seana McKenna as the slightly-daft medium, Madame Arcati. The utter absurdity of her character is made completely believable by Ms. McKenna’s undeniable skill, and how anyone on stage with her manages to keep a straight face is utterly beyond me. As Ruth, Sara Topham took a little while to grow on me, but her hysterics in the second act completely won me over. Michelle Giroux’s Elvira was the picture of grace and sensibility (even in an impossible situation), and Susie Burnett’s Edith had the audience in stitches from the moment the curtain went up.
the Stratford Festival has assembled an A-list team in order to bring it to life
Masterminding all this is director Brian Bedford, who clearly understands what it takes to make Coward sing. Not once does anyone force the humor of the text; instead, the action is always controlled and cool (in an especially English sort of way) and the dialogue is given the chance to shine. Simon Higlett’s hyper-realistic Adams and Empire-inspired set received a round of applause as the curtain came up, and Katherin Lubienski’s gorgeous costumes would be the envy of any closet (most especially the astounding dresses worn by Ms. Topham, and a certain tweed suit of Mr. Carlson’s that I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on one day).
Blithe Spirit has long been recognized as a classic, and it’s no secret why – the wit, humour, and tenderness of the absurd scenario are brilliantly constructed by a master playwright. But more than that, the Stratford Festival has assembled an A-list team in order to bring it to life, and anyone curious about the play could do no better than to experience it for the first time here.
saw this production at Stratford on Canada Day Weekend. CharPo's review has got it all, spot-on, just like production itself
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