Blithe Spirit

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Blithe Spirit

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  5w, 2m

A smash comedy hit on London and Broadway stages, this much-revived classic from the playwright of Private Lives offers wit, conflict and big laughs as a fussy, cantankerous novelist  finds himself haunted by the ghost of his late first wife.

Image: 2009 Broadway Production (Joan Marcus)

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    5w, 2m
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Farce
  • Suggested Use
    • Cutting Approved for Competition
    • Scene Work
    • UIL Approved
    • Competition or Audition Material
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior, Pre-Teen (Age 11-13), Teen (Age 14-18)
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 2009 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Revival
Blithe Spirit
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Details

Summary
A smash comedy hit in London and New York, this much-revived classic from the playwright of Private Lives concerns fussy, cantankerous novelist Charles Condomine, who has remarried but finds himself haunted (literally) by the ghost of his late first wife, Elvira. Clever, insistent and well aware of Charles' shortcomings, Elvira is called up by a visiting “happy medium,” the eccentric and flighty Madame Arcati. As everyone's personalities clash, Charles’ current wife, Ruth, is accidentally killed. She “passes over” and joins Elvira, allowing the two “blithe spirits” to haunt the hapless Charles into perpetuity.
History
Blithe Spirit premiered on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre on November 5, 1941. Directed and produced by John C. Wilson, the production featured Clifton Webb, Leonora Corbett, Mildred Natwick and Peggy Wood. The play returned to Broadway in 1987, featuring Richard Chamberlain, Blythe Danner, Judith Ivey and Geraldine Page. A 2009 Broadway revival, directed by Michael Blakemore, featured Rupert Everett, Christine Ebersole, Jayne Atkinson and Angela Lansbury. Lansbury, who was 83 years old at the time, won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.
EDITH – A maid
RUTH – Charles' current wife
CHARLES – Husband to Ruth and, before her passing, to Elvira
DR. BRADMAN
MRS. BRADMAN
MADAME ARCATI – A medium
ELVIRA – Charles' late wife
  • Time Period 1940s/WWII
  • Setting The living room of Charles Condomine's house in Kent, England. 1941.
  • Features Elaborate/High-Volume Costumes, Fantasy Costumes, Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Physical Comedy
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“Expertly crafted and effervescent.” – The Hollywood Reporter

“A highly efficient laugh machine... Can still keep an audience in a state of tickled contentment.” – Ben Brantley, The New York Times

“Rip-roaring... a scintillating comedy.” – John Simon, Bloomberg News

“A world-class comedy.” – TheaterMania

“Coward’s expertly crafted and effervescent dialogue, swimming in dry martinis.” – The Hollywood Reporter

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

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September 27, 2019

A Fascination with Life After Death: 75 Years of  Blithe Spirit
by Alejandra Venancio
November 4, 2016

Photos

  • Blithe Spirit

    Image: 2009 Broadway Production (Joan Marcus)

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £85 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

    Please submit a license request to determine availability.

Scripts

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Authors

Noël Coward

Noël Peirce Coward was born in 1899 and made his professional stage debut as Prince Mussel in The Goldfish at the age of 12, leading to many child actor appearances over the next few years. His breakthrough in playwriting was the controversial The Vortex (1924), which feature ...

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