Review: Blithe Spirit, at the Harold Pinter Theatre, London

For this trip I had pre-booked 6 shows before I came here; but decided to book another two last minute. The other we will get to later, but the first was the revival of Blithe Spirit. On Press Night no less. 

The only play booked in the whole line-up, Blithe Spirit is one of Noel Coward’s best known works, and has been revived in London many times since its first production in 1941 at the Manchester Opera House. (It transferred to the West End a month later with a run of almost 2,000 performances.) The most recent revival was in 2014 with Janie Dee (Follies), Jemima Rooper and the one and only Angela Lansbury! My Dad and I have kicked ourselves for missing out on that one…. 

But hey, Jennifer Saunders is as close as you can get right?

Author Charles Condomine’s new book is all about the supernatural, so for inspiration, he and his wife Ruth invite the eccentric Madame Arcarti to conduce a séance in their house. Only problem is the séance backfires and brings in the ghost of Charles’ first wife, Elvira….. Whoops

As you can imagine, hilarity and conflict ensues, as Ruth & Elvira do not get along AT ALL, Charles nearly tears all his hair out and is forced to question whether he really did summon Elvira; while Madame Arcarti desperately tries to find a way to get Elvira back and things back to normal….. or as normal as they could be…. 

Now I many not be normally a fan of older comedies, but unlike others made then, this show isn’t a farce. The script is tight and genuinely really funny. I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit at the lines, not just the physical slapstick moments that came with it - those moments were few and far between, making them stand out more. I especially appreciate the Budleigh Salterton jokes; if you know the play you know what I mean, but as my Gran lived there for over 30 years, let me tell you… those lines are absolutely true 😂😂

Now yes the script is funny, the story is a good concept and it is performed well but the company of actors, but we ALL know the main reason the show is gaining traction. 

Jennifer Saunders. Nuff said. 

Perfectly cast as Madame Arcarti, she was worth the ticket price alone. She was eccentric, excitable, and of course, hilarious. Her face shone with utter glee when anything about Elvira’s actions was being talked about - let alone when Charles encouraged Elvira to do a “demonstration”. And when she went into a trance, the lights went out, and then came back on to find her lying in a strange position on the floor. Seeing her legendary comedic timing in person is not something I think I will forget in while. Or hopefully ever. 

If you are a fan of Noel Coward, this could well be for you. I went to the Balcony seats which were £20, and to me, that was definitely worth it just to see Ms Saunders do her THANG. Blithe Spirit is currently playing until 6th November, you can get your tickets here.