November 11, 2004

Death and comedy usually don’t go hand in hand, but in Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit,” these elements are a match made in stage heaven.

The classic play opens at the University of Houston’s Wortham Theatre on Nov. 12, and, according to Sidney Berger, director of UH’s School of Theatre, its dark themes allow for a humorous yet insightful look at life and death.

“It’s by no means frivolous,” said Berger, who is directing the play. “It’s hard for a comedy about death to be frivolous. What Coward did with this play was create characters who are childlike but not necessarily easy to love. He felt that lovable characters aren’t as interesting as real people like ourselves who aren’t perfect.”

“Blithe Spirit” tells the story of a socialite writer who hosts a séance as research for a book he is writing. During the course of summoning spirits, the writer’s deceased first wife appears and makes him question his second marriage and his own life.

For the actors, the play’s combination of action and comedy presents an entertaining challenge, but Coward’s script also tests their abilities.

“Coward’s wit and use of language are unique and few 20th century playwrights can match him,” said Berger. “This is a great exercise for the actors because they are working dramatically with language. If an actor doesn’t have a handle on language, he or she will have a hard time with the works of other playwrights, particularly Shakespeare.”

“Blithe Spirit” debuted in 1941 in England during World War II when the country was under attack by Nazi Germany. Despite being a play that poked fun at death during a time of violence and destruction, “Blithe Spirit” was a box office hit in London’s West End theater district. In 1945, a film version of the play met also met with success.

“You can imagine that when bombs were dropping on London that this play was the biggest hit of the city,” Berger said. “Audiences went to see it not because of the dark subject matter, but because ‘Blithe Spirit’ offered a hilarious and substantive evening of theater. The play is very memorable and no matter when it is performed, audiences continue to appreciate it.”

Mike Emery
memery@central.uh.edu