Pictured, clockwise: Deborah Rush, Rupert Everett, Angela Lansbury, Jayne Atkinson, Simon Jones in "Blithe Spirit."________________________________
It is a rarity for a performer to elicit unconditional love and reverence from audiences that span generations. The iconic Angela Lansbury is such a performer, and she is now the subject of glowing, genuine affection – if thunderous applause is any indication – when she takes the stage of Broadway’s Shubert Theatre as the larger-than-life Madame Arcati in the current revival of Noel Coward’s seminal classic “Blithe Spirit.”
The dry, witty British comedy is a fine showcase for Lansbury, but she is joined by formidable talent onstage, most recognizably film star Rupert Everett and Tony award-winner Christine Ebersole, who earned vast acclaim in 2007 for “Grey Gardens.” The material is a bit dated and the humor sunny but understated, yet under the tight guidance of director Michael Blakemore the cast mostly succeeds in oiling the creaks of Coward’s ingratiating vehicle. “Blithe Spirit” shows it age, yet the meat – the hilarity – is timeless.
Charles Condomine, Everett’s character, is a misanthropic novelist researching the occult. He and his wife Ruth, played by Jayne Atkinson, commission the eccentric, bubbly, highly notorious Madame Arcati, a medium of highly questionable talent, to perform a seance at their home. Only Arcati can sense that something significant has transpired, that is, until Charles’ deceased first wife Elvira, played by Ebersole, not only makes an appearance, traipsing gingerly through the draperies, but delights in making herself at home. No one but Charles can see the playful, lighthearted ghost.
Coward’s script is droll and daffy; while serviceable, it is not particularly scintillating. For that reason the dexterity and believability of the actors’ delivery can make or break its successful rendering. However, with such formidable casting magic ensues here in more than one manner of speaking. The story and its execution are unrestrainedly fanciful – Coward, after all, subtitled it “an improbable farce” – but this only amplifies the hilarity.
Atkinson is wonderful as the beleaguered, long-suffering Ruth. She plays off the remote, staunch, cool-as-cucumber Everett with impeccable ease. Her comedic skills are formidable, evidenced when Arcati sends her into a fit of frustration.
“Do you mean to sit there and tell me,” she cries, “that having mischievously conjured up this ghost or spirit or whatever she is and placed me in a hideous position, you are unable to do anything about it?!”
“Honesty,” Arcati says with a cautious gleam in her eyes, “is the best policy.”
Ebersole is hilarious, wringing combustible laughter out of her sketchy lines, and Simon Jones and Deborah Rush are delightful as Doctor and Mrs. Bradman, guests of the Condomines. Rush is instantly recognizable from scores of character parts, most notably that of Mary Flaherty in “American Wedding,” and she has great chemistry with Lansbury.
It is no secret that Lansbury is the greatest incentive to set one’s sights on the Shubert Theatre. Those who know her only from the long-running CBS hit “Murder, She Wrote” may be surprised to learn that she transformed from photogenic character actress to show business phenom on Broadway in the 1960s and 70s thanks to musicals such as “Mame” and “Sweeney Todd.” She announced her stint in 2007’s “Deuce” as being her final Broadway run, so it is likely her zany, thoroughly arresting performance as Arcati will cap off her legendary stage career. Her unexpected reemergence from retirement is good fortune for all theatergoers, particularly those unaware of her adeptness at comic delivery.
“I think I’ll have a small whiskey and soda,” remarks a downtrodden Charles late in the play.
“Make it a double!” Arcati says with a grand flourish. “Enjoy yourself!”
The Shubert Theatre is located 225 W. 44th Street in New York. Student rush tickets, subject to availability, are available at $26.50 two hours prior to each performance at the Shubert Theatre box office. Two per valid ID.
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