"BLITHE SPIRIT"

Taupo Times, Volume I, Issue 50, 24 December 1952, Page 5

"BLITHE SPIRIT"

First Performance . The first performance 6'f Noel Coward's comedy "Blithe Spirit," which was presented at Rickit's Hall on Monday evening was a riot oi fun. , The story, set in the living room .of a weilthy home in Kent, tells the tale of Chas. Condomime, whose first wife maferiafises to her husband following upon a seance after she has "passed over" to the next world. Needless to say Noel Coward makes full use of the plot to prpvidef crisp witty dialogue and intrigwing situations, whilst the cast of the Dramatk Society missed nothing in making the production a great success, ; '• r '■ The major part, that of.cCMWes Condomime was played by Hedley Gibson with confidence. He gave a welLbalahced performance in the exacting part , of the ghost-hounded husband trying to keep peace between his ywives. As his second wife, Ruth, Shirley Laughton moved with ease and = equal confidence through her difficult life when , she in turn became a spirit one felt that sh,e - really did not deserve to. die so yoyng. x Sally Kent as Elvira rnade a charming and provocatiye ghost, .giiding like , a shadow through/Charles' life and creating extremely awkward situations. She was a very popular wraith, Madam Arcati was most convincingly played by Dulcie Cphen, and it wqulg be hard indeed to find a person ipetter able to handle this difficult part. Whilst she was on the stage she held tHO audience, and the audience held its sides. In the smaller parts were Beryl Kenhedy as Edith the snivellrhg maid with running feet and nose. ChaHes Leslie as the heavy Dr Bradrnan and Iris Osborne who contrasted well r'aS his gushing wife. They all gave splendid pen* formances. A word of praise is also due to Charles Leslie for the tremendous amount of work he put into stage manag«ng the production and manufacturing settings. The work of Arnold Goodwin as producer of the play Was no light task, particularly as the cast was materially altered at the time of his arrival six weeks ago. However he has succeeded in training his players to the standard required for a really first rate performance. ' . .. , . ; . ' • "Blithe Spirit" will be .again presented on Monday and Tuesday, December 29 and 30.