Review #1: Blithe Spirit
Publication: Shoreham Herald
Publication Data: April 29 1955 issue
Reviewer: W.N.
Text Header: “Young Wick Players had big success ”
Text: Content
What a delightful play Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit, and how well the Young Wick Players succeeded in putting it over at the Barn Theatre last Thursday night. They put all they had into the production, and if one or two of the subtleties went astray, enough were left to keep the audience laughing from beginning to end.
The Players have two main factors to thank for their success, the first and foremost being the really excellent stage management of Ross Workman. The set itself was simple, but effective, and the vast number of properties needed in this play were always in the right place at the right time. John Chatfield is also to be congratulated for making the ‘ghostly’ effects in the final scene so realistic. Second outstanding feature of the production was Betty Gedge’s delightful interpretation of Madame Arcati, that bumble-headed medium who is something of a psychic phenomenon. Miss Gedge came on the scene when the pace was lagging, picked it up, and carried it along triumphantly to the final scene. She completely lived the part, and whether going off into a trance or enthusing about her bicycle, convinced us that here was not merely and actress but a living character.
Ralph Dawes, who played the part of the unfortunate spirit-pecked husband, was effective save for a slight tendency to forget his lines. Indeed, the play was notable for some most ingenious ad-libbing, which added to the amusement of the audience but was doubtless not so funny on the other side of the footlights. Betty Carpenter made a good impression as the possessive second wife, and her deathly make-up in the last act, after she had joined the spirit world was extremely good. Elaine Smithers was also excellent as Elvira, the spritely first wife, though she might have been a little more ethereal. The play was jointly produced by Elizabeth Penney and Hugh Etherington – in this case surely an instance of ‘many hands making light work’ rather than ‘too many cooks’. The lighting was well handled by Frank Hurrell.
