Noël Coward's 1941 comedy is known and loved for its preposterously silly central character, clairvoyant Madame Arcati. Written to raise spirits in the depths of the Second World War, Blithe Spirit has endured and continues to be one of Coward's best-loved and most-revived works. Indeed, only recently we enjoyed a starry film adaptation featuring Judi Dench, Emilia Fox and Isla Fisher.
Director Richard Eyre, five-time Olivier winner and former head of the National Theatre, lends his talents to this lively stage production, which is buoyed by the comedic capabilities of Jennifer Saunders as eccentric medium, Madame Arcati. The Ab Fab star has plenty of fun leading a seance and accidentally summoning a ghost.
The haunted country-house comedy follows writer Charles Condomine (Geoffrey Streatfeild), who recruits a medium so he can write in detail about the seance process for his latest novel. But Charles gets more than he bargained for when the meddling Madame Arcati magics up the spirit of his long-dead wife, Elvira.
Negotiating the tenderness of loss with silliness and light, Coward's comedy feels as morale-boosting as ever in Eyre's production. If the effusive reviews from the Theatre Royal Bath opening are to be believed, expect 'enormous, life-affirming fun' on the West End stage.
Click here to book tickets for Blithe Spirit at Harold Pinter Theatre
| What | Blithe Spirit, Harold Pinter Theatre |
| Where | Harold Pinter Theatre, Panton Street, London, SW1Y 4DN | MAP |
| Nearest tube | Leicester Square (underground) |
| When |
16 Sep 21 – 06 Nov 21, 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM |
| Price | £20+ |
| Website | Click here to book and for more information |
