Hail to Thee, Blithe Spirit!

Take an eccentric spiritualist, a skeptical novelist doing research on séances, a second wife and a pair of guests, place them together in an English manor house, and you have the recipe for an evening of madcap fun. The Wimberley Players will be presenting Noel Coward’s inimitable comedy, Blithe Spirit, from February 9-25 at the new Wimberley Playhouse.

The socialite Condomines, Charles and Ruth, invite Dr. Bradman and his wife to a small dinner party. Eccentric Madame Acarti, who also joins them, makes a series of rather odd attempts after dinner to conjure up spirits. The only one who can see and hear directly that she has succeeded in calling up long-dead first wife, Elvira Condomine, is Charles. Temperamental Elvira quickly becomes an unwanted guest as she seeks to disrupt Charles’ current marriage. Her antics create havoc and Ruth starts seeing things happen that are otherwise inexplicable. Charles reveals what has happened and Ruth decides she will not let her ghostly rival stay without putting up a fight. Madame Acarti is finally called back in to try to repair things but the mischief only increases.

The role of Charles Condomine is played by Carl Galante, familiar to many as Ben Franklin in the fall production of 1776. Beth Burroughs, an Austin actress who has appeared in numerous film and theatrre productions, including Steel Magnolias and The Trip to Bountiful, plays Ruth, Condomine’s no-nonsense second wife.  The Bradmans are portrayed by a Wimberley husband-wife team, Martin and Judith Driscoll, who appeared in the recent Players productions of 1776 and I Love You, You’re Perfect Now Change, respectively. Judith Laird, who has delighted Wimberley audiences for years with her lively comedic portrayals, is the dotty Madame Acarti. Austin is home for the talented Aleta Garcia, a theatre veteran from Arizona who performed recently in It Runs in the Family and 365 Days/365 Plays. She portrays ghostly Elvira, and Amber “Kera” Harmon is the ever-dashing housemaid Edith.

Blithe Spirit is directed by David Bisett and produced by Pam Schultz. Assistant Director is Denise Bjerke and Associate Producers are Terry Burney-Bisett and Jana White.

Noel Coward wrote Blithe Spirit in 1941, after his London office and flat had been destroyed in the Blitz. Both actor and writer, Coward felt people needed an escapist comedy after the dark days they had just been through. Blithe Spirit was performed nearly 2000 times during its first run and has been delighting audiences throughout the decades since.

The play will run weekends from February 9 to 25 at the Playhouse, 450 Old Kyle Road (between the Square and FM 3237). Performances are 8:00 on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 on Sundays. The opening night reception, February 9, will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the lobby.

Tickets can be reserved by phone starting January 29, by calling 847-0575. They will be available for purchase at the theatre box office starting February 5. Box office hours are 1:00-5:00, Monday through Friday. All tickets are $15. Visa and Mastercard are accepted.

To a Skylark
HAIL to thee, blithe spirit!
Bird thou never wert--
That from heaven or near it
Pourest thy full heart
In profuse strains of unpremeditated art.