*For the safety and comfort of patrons, cast and crew, and in accordance with California law regarding food service, the only animals allowed in the theater are certified service dogs and law enforcement dogs.*
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Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward
Directed by David Abrams
November 15 – December 15, 2024
Noël Coward’s farce of phantasms materializes on RVP’s stage. David Abrams, who both directed and played Tom in last season’s tender The Glass Menagerie, pulls the strings on a séance gone wrong.
Blithe Spirit brings an eccentric spiritualist medium into the home of a novelist, conjuring up the ghost of his first wife and leading to a series of hilariously otherworldly complications. As the humorous chaos unfolds, the playwright deftly mixes sharp wit with spectral hijinks, creating an enduring favorite.
Written by Coward in less than a week as Britain suffered World War II blitz bombings, onstage in London six weeks later with hardly a line changed, and going on to initially play more than 2,000 performances, the cosmopolitan playwright had found a tonic for turbulent times. The comic cocktail works its magic still.
“With a world climate of conflict and challenges, it may be necessary to laugh at the worst parts of ourselves in order to appeal to the better angels of our nature,” said director Abrams, adding, “Beyond that, may this play go out to all the people who would love a good haunt from those they miss.”
*No performances Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving) or Friday, November 29, 2024*
*Saturday, November 30 is a matinee*
*There are two intermissions, and
evening performances end at 10:30 pm*
CAST
Charles Condomine – Malcolm Rodgers
Ruth Condomine – Jessica Powell*
Elvira – Ashley Garlick*
Dr. Bradman – Robert Molossi
Mrs. Bradman – Amy Dietz
Madame Arcati – Tori Truss
Edith – Lizzy Bies
Understudies – Doug Epps, Bethe Jensen, and Marissa Ellison
*Appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Director – David Abrams
Producer – Steve Price
Stage Manager – Sophie Gilmore
Assistant Stage Manager – Piper Gilmore
Set Design – Tom O’Brien
Lighting Design – Frank Sarubbi
Sound Design – Bruce Viera
Costume Design – Valera Coble
Property Design, Scenic Painter – Dhyanis Carniglia
Master Builder – Michael Walraven
Intimacy Coach – Heather Ondersma
Dialect Coach – Danielle Levine
Photographer – Robin Jackson
Graphic Design – Mark Shepard
Program Consultants – Suzie Hughes and Nancy Wilson
Volunteer Coordinator – Eleanor Prugh
Web Manager – Andy Wilson
Lobby Flowers and Décor – Maureen Kalbus