Celebrated and charming novelist Charles Condomine has invited a local medium and eccentric, Madame Arcati, to hold a séance at his house, as research for his latest book. Rather surprisingly, the hapless Arcati calls up the ghost of Charles’ first wife – the alluring Elvira. Safe in the knowledge that only Charles can see her, Elvira embarks on a series of troublesome events that quickly move from somewhat harmless to very dangerous… Read more …
Fairlie’s take on the piece successfully brings together all the elements of the ghost story with the characters’ wistful longing for the love of yesteryear.
If you are looking for an afternoon in the theatre to whisk you away from today’s depressingly dismal world, then this is the show for you.
It may seem almost sacrilegious to remove Coward’s oeuvre from familiar period surrounds, but the fact that Fairlie’s revival works so well is a timely reminder of the play’s structural strengths.
While it never quite goes for the jugular, death becomes everyone onstage in a class-conscious take on Coward that breaks on through to the other side.
A Blithe Spirit to remember; one that gives full weight to the epic battle of the sexes at the centre of the drama, and is all the more powerful for it.
Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Pitlochry from Thursday June 6, 2019, until Saturday September 28, 2019. Plays in repertory. Check website for performance dates and times.. More info: www.pitlochry.org.uk