Book Review: Blithe Spirit

I adore Noel Coward - yes, his writing was of another time, and sure, that means it isn't always kosher. However! It doesn't mean that certain works aren't timeless and fabulous fun. I saw Blithe Spirit on the West End with Jennifer Saunders playing Madame Arcati, and it was A M A Z I N G. True, my sister only wanted to see it because she was an Ab Fab fan, but the play itself was still brilliant - I think she became a fan of the work too.

When a séance goes wrong, an eccentric medium and psychic falls into a trance and summons Charles Condomine’s first wife, Elvira, back from the dead. It causes all sorts of mischief, especially as it is only Charles who can see her, much to the dismay of his new wife, Ruth. As you can imagine, hilarity ensues and Madame Arcati is simply beside herself with glee, completely misinterpreting the Condomine’s plight as her own personal success - because why shouldn’t they be happy for her?

I will say the one thing about Noel Coward's writing is that it works better when performed (obviously, this is a play), but with some texts, you can hear and feel the humour bleeding off the page. Perhaps it's because this play is from another time - a much simpler time, before Snapchat and TikTok. The humour doesn't jump out at me, but if I watch clips of the play or the original film with Rex Harrison as Charles, then yes, the jokes sing and will have you cackling.

In terms of characters, you have some of Coward’s favourites. A humble but dramatic man in Charles, an absolute mischief maker, Elvira and the somewhat level-headed Ruth. They play off each other well. But the real star of the show is Madame Arcati, and I won't lie, Jennifer Saunders was fabulous. You can tell that Coward had the best time writing her character; therefore, it stands to reason that this play is Coward’s most famous and most popular. It has been revived time and time again and will continue for the foreseeable future. I think its main allure lies in the fact that this play is good old-fashioned, timeless fun. It also helps that they get fantastic character actors like Jennifer Saunders and Angela Lansbury to play Madame Arcati. For the most part, it is inoffensive and light-hearted, which is what punters love. It might stand to reason why “The Mousetrap” by Agatha Christie is still playing on the West End - sure, it's about a murder. But there is something about post-war writing that sings to audiences today. This is a ‘comfort read’ I can see myself opening this play up again.