Theatre Royal Windsor – until 20th May 2023
Reviewed by Ben Jolly
3***
Theatre Royal Windsor kick starts a new season of its Windsor on Air program taking us back to a time gone by with the supernatural comedy, Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit.
Premiering back in 1941, this Coward classic shows the sanctity of marriage between Charles and Ruth blown to smithereens when a séance led by local clairvoyant Madame Arcati leads to the ghostly resurrection of Charles’ first wife, Elvira… chaos ensues.
The curtain rises on a cool, empty, period-dressed BBC recording studio – like a desolate theatre, the anticipation is palpable.
What has now become a staple of Theatre Royal Windsor’s programming, Windsor on Air is essentially a play within a play. The ensemble arrive at the studio one by one and take their positions, poised and ready, dressed in 50s attire to emulate a time when radio plays were at their height of popularity, attracting the biggest names to perform over the airwaves. We’re even treated to our own foley artist for the event, a feast for the eyes and ears indeed!
Blithe Spirit – rich in its fast and clever witt is a perfect choice for the series. The cast have a wonderful grasp of the language, rhythm, and nuances that are imperative to a Coward play and tackle the piece with gusto.
Tristan Gemmill is a splendid Charles, full of theatricality, he exuberates the charm, humour and rhythm this role deserves. Honeysuckle Weeks finds some wonderful moments in her performance of Elvira, Charles’ first wife and the two actors are fully supported by Ben Nealon and Marti Webb in the roles of Doctor and Mrs Bradman. Our Madame Arcati is played by Jenny Seagrove, who reminds us just how spellbinding this character is.
It is said that in the film and television business they refer to the public as “viewers” but in the theatre we’re called an “audience”, audio – a theatre audience are first and foremost there to listen; I found myself savouring the language in a way I only would get to in a setting such as this and especially when the play is dripping with delicious dialogue does it pay off.
With the huge popularity of podcasts and the rise in demand of audio theatre, I wonder when live radio plays will have their own resurgence over the mainstream wireless? In the meantime, a trip to the Theatre Royal Windsor for their On Air series will be just the tonic.