Noël
Coward’s
“Blithe Spirit." first seen almost thirty years ago, is
still much
alive, as we see in the revival at the Globe. It is
lesser Coward, but
excellent entertainment all the same. We have
the antics of
the ghostly Elvira, brought back into the life of her
husband, now
married again, by that memorable personage Madame
Arcati, being highly
diverting for one half of the play, then, relatively,
falling into an
area of straining for invention and effect.
Yet the whole
winds up in lively Coward style, and one has had an
enjoying evening.
The scenes of shining craft, perfect dialogue and
fascinating
characterisation, are a delight, and have been directed
with close
understanding and skill by Nigel Patrick. Even the
scenes which, today,
explain a little too much and go on a little too long,
have Mr
Patrick's sure touch for wit and a nice gloss. Beryl
Reid
is an absolutely convincing and compelling Madame Arcati
with a soft
Scots accent. The blending in Arcati’s character of the
down-to-earth
with the fey and the ridiculous is very
finely realised. There
is much wit in the performance, humour springing right
from the heart
of the woman, and a building up of character which never
falters in
values and effectiveness.
Patrick Cargill is outstanding as Charles, getting
more out of the
part than one would think possible, and all in the
spirit of the thing,
blithe and gay, are Phyllis Calvert (recast post this
review), John
Hart Dyke, Daphne Newton and Sylvia Brayshay. Amanda
Reiss is a very
good Elvira, but I still remember with joy the original,
played so
wonderfully by Kay Hammond. There is a
setting well in tune
with the piece by Pamela Ingram and Joe Davis's lighting
also
plays its clever part.