On Wednesday night, I crawled my way to the Cellar Theatre and settled in for SUDS’ latest opening night performance. Blithe Spirit tells the story of several very terrible mistakes, ranging from marriages, murders and seances, to unlikely combinations of foodstuffs. Charles, a novelist, invites a psychic to his house in the hopes of making fun of a scam artist. In the process, he accidently summons the ghost of his first wife during a seance — much to the discomfort of his very much alive second wife.
Blithe Spirit is disgustingly hilarious, and has no business being as funny as it is. Director Jeremy Jenkins and assistant director Hunter Shanahan have mercilessly cast seven shockingly funny performers that turn Noel Coward’s tight-lipped English comedy into a playground. James Wily’s Charles has a handful of opening scenes as a witty author before the arrival of his wife’s ghost transforms him instantly into a glorious mess. I’ve never had so much pleasure watching a man snap like a twig. Wily’s gift for physical comedy is only matched by his hysterical deadpan delivery of many of the show’s funniest lines. Adele Beaumont is more than his match as Ruth, the living wife who is oh so cold. Her flinty delivery and ice wit see Beaumont in top form with the help of Rose Cooke and Holli Nguyen’s elegant costuming and make-up. She elevates Ruth above the role of voice of reason into an endlessly entertaining spite machine. Fuelling the fire between this couple is Asqa Suryana as Elvira, Charles’ first wife. Suryana’s performance is as ethereal as it is sharp. From her quiet entrance to a tinkling theme and cold blue light, all the way through to her monumental face-off against Charles in Act 3, her stage presence is phenomenal.
They are joined by a strong supporting cast. Dr and Mrs Bradman (Luna Ng and Gemma Hudson) were endless fun. Ng’s unusual yet hysterical style of delivery was a highlight for me. Ella McGrath as Edith the housemaid was an audience favourite — appearing somewhat rarely but always to raucous laughter, especially when bickering with the stage manager. The uncanny Danny Yazdani is Madame Arcati. The character of the psychic medium is usually interpreted as a fussy Englishwoman — but you should go see for yourself Yazdani’s transformation of her into a proud Iranian woman who pulls off a headscarf like you never could, complete with rattling jewellery and the artful insertion of Farsi phrases into dialogue. Yazdani is so clearly having the time of his life, but occasionally pauses the physical comedy to bring a menacing stage presence that kept catching me off guard.
The set (designed by James Hewish and assisted by Via Wang) was commendable and provided a glorious mise en scene, complete with a disco ball and a wonderful living room setup that regrettably gets pelted with all manner of substances throughout the play thanks to the violent paroxysms of the cast. Lighting (designed by Thomas Hennessey and assisted by Victoria Jackson) alternated between minimalism and spectacular effects, most charming of which is at the very beginning of the play, which made me feel as if I had just walked into a dollhouse. Compliments are owed to the sound designers, Jennifer Gao and Milly McPherson, who produced several delightful variations on the play’s theme ‘Always’, along with some enchanting musical cues.
I will not lie and say that Blithe Spirit is polished to a perfect finish. Several minor technical issues arose, and it is occasionally apparent how the actors have struggled with the extensive dialogue of such a long play. I hope those remarks may appease the vultures among us. But I must also say, in my earnest opinion, that the slight chaos of opening night has never better suited the talents of such a cast and crew and the natural, organic humour of its directors. Where the plan fell through, something lovely and spontaneous took its place, and I must claim that as the greatest pleasure of performance.
Congratulations to Jenkins on a strong directorial debut with an abundance of flavour and personality. Blithe Spirit will be performing at the Cellar Theatre until September 23.