"Blithe Spirit" by Noel Coward.

Ravenshead Theatre Group.

Ravenshead Village Hall.

Noel Coward's classic comedy ghost story is exhumed with great style and spirit by the Ravenshead Theatre Group. 

Mr Condomine, a writer, has invited medium Madame Acarti round for a meal with best friends Dr and Mrs Bradman to pick up some tricks of the trade for his next novel, but even though the night seems to have been uneventful, this is in fact far from true.

Karen Hall plays Ruth Condomine, who at the start is really loved up with her husband, but as soon as she has a rival in the shape of the late Mrs Condomine, quite rightly there's a frosty and protective Mrs C on the scene. Karen's acting is very natural and is a lovely character actor, soon making you feel that you're watching the character herself and not an actor playing a role, and that makes you side with her on so many of the arguments that arise.  Lovely amount of stroppiness in with the hot and cold blowing attitude shown to her stage hubby.

Rob Hurst plays Mr Charles Condomine. I've been a fan of Rob's for quite some time now, even dubbing him "The Postman" because he always delivers. He manages to go for the roles that really suit his acting style, and the pomposity of this character fits in well with Rob's style. There are parts where you do feel for the character, and the silliness of the situation that he has found himself in, all due to Rob's facial expressions.  

Edith, the Maid, is played by Lucy Johnson, who brings quite a bit of the comedy in this play, especially at the opening scenes and the physical comedy in Edith's character. The sense of innocence and duty towards the Condomines also creates many of the humorous moments. 

Andy Cook plays Dr George Bradman and Helen Brailsford plays Violet Bradman. Here's another nice pairing with Mrs Bradman also adding comedy to the mix, especially with the interaction with Madame Acarti, who you really feel doesn't have a very high opinion of Mrs Bradman. Helen's laugh just made me giggle every time.

Madame Acarti is played by Mandy Buckley, and is undoubtedly the one all of the audience were talking about in the break and at the end. Brilliant characterisation, flambouyance and eccentricity, Mandy is a joy to watch work and has a canny sense of comedy timing, but I knew that from seeing Mandy in previous productions anyway. Pure magic to behold.

Elvira, Mr Condomine's first wife, is obviously another highlight for me and played brilliantly by Catherine Petrova. Elvira is seven years passed over and is summoned to the Condomine's house, but not, as we later discover by Mr Condomine. Catherine plays the part of the petulant and fun-loving spirit so well, and such a flirtatious Elvira. If you can imagine Fenella Fielding in "Carry On Screaming" and Morticia Addams all in one role, that's quite similar to how Catherine plays Elvira, and I loved it. 

Directed by Sarah Tryner, this spooky comedy just rolls along perfectly, defining the differences between the two Mrs Condomines, placing Mr Condomine firmly in the middle of two different women and giving him choices that he could never have had while both wives were in the same plane, causing jealousy and testing Charles' loyalty, which is a big chunk of the comedy arises via Coward's sharp script. Making sure that Madame Acarti is truly eccentric is another comedy layer that Sarah has made sure was a constant throughout. the final scene was really well executed and, even though it was played for comedy, it still gave me the shivers.

Set design is by Rob Hurst, and as soon as the curtains opened, that set just hits you. Ravenshead always excel with their sets and this is no different. The action all takes place in Charles Condomine's living room, and is full of class; I absolutely adored their gramophone. The doors out to the garden were very clever as well; operated invisibly to open and close - well I couldn't see anyone operating them, so they fooled me. There were even plants on the other side of the doors to indicate that this was the garden entrance, and you know how much I like those small details!

Lighting is by Iain Walton. Nothing fancy needed, well not until the end when the effects are needed. You'll also notice a subtle green, almost ectoplasmic sheen on stage whenever Elvira drifts into the Condomine's living room.

Sound is by Daniel Andrews who managed the effects and sound bites, which were all cued well. On the subject of sound and music, I must also mention the background music at the start and the interval as the tracks really set the scene for the play; brilliant and apt choices.

Smoothly stage managed by Ann-Marie Butler with her crew Sue Bishton and James Disney.

This is a classy Noel Coward play so all of the costumes reflect that level of class, provided by Lin Baggarley and the cast.

The make up, and especially for Elvira and the late Ruth Condomine, really stood out, creating that other worldly image is thanks to Catherine Petrova.

One area that I don't normally mention is the job of the Prompt. Noel Coward's scripts are often not as simple as they first appear and there was only once that Eddie Gray was required, but what I do want to say is that there was no premature prompting from Eddie and I noted that a subtle signal was telegraphed for that one prompt. It's opening night, nerves will be up there and with an often tongue-twisty script in parts, having a Prompt who knows just when to give that prompt is a boon for the actor and the company.

I am a fan of Coward's work, and "Blithe Spirit" has been my favourite of his plays for well over thirty years after seeing the late, great Peggy Mount play Madame Acarti. This production is packed with class and comedy and there were not many empty seats on Thursday night's opening night, but then again there never really are many vacant seats as I know that Ravenshead Theatre Group have a very faithful fan base who support everything that they do. 

"Blithe Spirit" is at Ravenshead Village Hall until Saturday 31 May, but you better hurry up getting tickets to stand a ghost of a chance in seeing this classic Coward comedy.