Orange Central Highlights: 'Blithe Spirit' at Syracuse Stage

This weekend, the Syracuse University community will come together to welcome back alumni for a campus-wide celebration. Orange Central will be jam-packed with activities, including a ton of great performances and exhibits for art lovers. A full list of them can be found here, but in this post I'll highlight a fantastic show playing now at Syracuse Stage.

Blithe Spirit is a hilarious classic comedy that tells the story of author Charles Condomine and a dinner party gone awry. Hoping to do research for his next book, Charles invites a medium, Madame Arkati, to dinner and ends up bringing the ghost of Elvira, his first wife, back from the other side. Her reappearance is problematic and sparks soon fly between Elvira and the current Mrs. Condomine.

From left, Curzon Dobell (as Dr. Bradman), Elizabeth Ingram (as Mrs. Bradman), Patricia Hodges (as Madame Arcati), & Jeremiah Wiggins (as Charles Condomine). Image courtesy of Syracuse Stage.

SU drama student Antonieta Pereira made her professional debut with Syracuse Stage in this production, and managed to make a big comedic impact with her relatively limited stage time. Playing the Condomines' maid Edith, she emerged slowly from behind the set in the show's first scene, carrying a massive stack of martini glasses on a tray. Wordlessly, she shuffled across the stage, negotiating furniture and stairs with expressions of determination, fear, and relief. Without uttering a single line she had the audience rapt and eventually uproariously laughing.

The play dulled a bit after Pereira's brilliant opening, giving way to a lot of extended dialogue that required the audience to concentrate heavily or risk missing its subtle witticisms. Things soon gained momentum though, and ultimately the show offered a riotous mixture of physical comedy, biting repartee, and outrageous twists.

Set in Kent, England in 1939, the play's production stuck to a historically accurate aesthetic. Scenic designer John Iacovelli's conjured up a beautiful and stately living room with some theatrical tricks up its sleeve. Suzanne Chesney's costumes looked luxurious and interesting without being distracting. Joey Parsons, who played Charles' second wife Ruth, cut an especially striking figure in a languid burgundy satin evening gown in the play's first scene.

Meanwhile, lighting designer Dawn Chiang created a cold, ghostly glow around the show's supernatural characters. Michael Barakiva directed the production, making a return to Syracuse Stage after directing The Clean House in 2011 and The Turn of the Screw in 2012.

Gisela Chipe (as Condomine's first
wife Elvira) and Jeremiah Wiggins

Noel Coward wrote Blithe Spirit in 1941 with the hope of bringing joy and laughter to depressed wartime audiences. When it premiered that same year, critics declared the show in poor taste, but audiences loved it. It ran successfully for four and half years.

Timothy Bond, Producing Artistic Director of Syracuse Stage, echoed Coward's hope of bringing audiences together and giving them a joyous escape. In a letter to the audience in the program Bond said: "...we reinforce the fundamental premise of theatre itself as a place we come together to share our common humanity."

So as the SU community comes together for Orange Central, what could be better than a trip to the theatre? Blithe Spirit is a witty good time that's sure to please and well worth a spot on the weekend agenda.

Blithe Spirit

September 18 through October 6, 2013

Syracuse Stage

More information here.