Los Alamos Reporter

Los Alamos Little Theater Presents ‘Blithe Spirit, An Improbable Farce’ By Noel Coward Beginning May 13

The cast of ‘Blithe Spirit’ includes, from left, Wendy Lanchier as Elvira, Patrick MacDonald as Charles, and Elizabeth Kallman as Ruth. Photo Courtesy LALT

BY TERRY BEERY
Los Alamos Little Theater

“It’s discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.”
― Charles Condomine; Act1, Scene 1 

Blithe Spirit, the classic play by British playwright Noël Coward, will be performed by the Los Alamos Little Theater.  Performances are Friday and Saturday, May 13, 14 (curtain at 7:30 p.m.), Sunday May 15 (curtain at 2:00 p.m); Thursday May 19, Friday May 20 and Saturday May 21 (curtain at 7:30 p.m.).

The play was written in 1941 and has been performed in numerous venues all over the world, including at the LALT in the 1947-1948 and 1982-83 seasons.

 It is the story of novelist Charles Condomine who is preparing to write a mystery story.  He wants to learn more about the mediums of his time, so he invites Madame Arcati over for dinner and a séance. Patrick MacDonald plays Charles and says that he enjoys the role because he gets to be both prim and proper and completely idiotic.   He suggests that audiences will experience both what they expect and nothing like they expect. Wendy Lanchier, who plays Charles’ first wife, Eliva noted that her character “has lots of traits that I don’t have and are fun to play.  She gets to be dramatic and playful and angry and giddy and it’s just a blast getting to bring that energy to the stage.”

Tomás Farish, who plays Dr. Bradman pointed out, “This is a period piece, set in England in the 1940’s.  Audiences should enjoy the costumes and accents!  They should be aware that the mores and customs of that time differ quite a bit from today’s.’  He added, “We have a wonderful cast and crew. There are lots of changes between scenes and the backstage crew handle it beautifully.”

Audiences should know that there are significant special effects in the show including some flashing lights.  Anyone with sensory concerns about the lighting effects should contact director, Gwen Lewis. 

The cast includes Patrick MacDonald (Charles Condomine), Elizabeth Kallman (Ruth Condomine), Wendy Caldwell Lanchier (Elvira Condomine, deceased), Terry Beery (Madam Arcati), Pat Beck (Violet Bradman), Tomás Farish (George Bradman), and Gloria Galassi (Edith)

Tickets are available at the door or online at http://www.lalt.org.