Blithe Spirit
“This release from Naxos tells Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit: An Improbable Farce with the aid of Corin Redgrave as Charles Condomine, Kika Markham as Ruth Condomine, and Thelma Ruby as the medium Elvira. The collection includes some brief classical music accompaniment, but is dominated by the voice performances of the actors, who convincingly portray the story of a writer and his wife who are visited by the man’s first wife during a séance.”
AllMusic
When novelist Charles Condomine invites a medium into his house in order to learn about the occult for his new book, the last thing he or his second wife imagines is that the séance will bring back his first wife, Elvira, who wants Charles all to herself.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that only Charles can see her, which results in some hilarious exchanges and misunderstandings.
Elvira’s plots to get him to “the other side” do not go as planned, however, and instead of Charles dying in her contrived “accident,”’ his new wife does!
Many consider Blithe Spirit to be one of Coward’s best and most unusual farces.
Praise