'Spirit' brings fun to campus stage

By Emily Bjorklund

"Blithe Spirit," the play being presented by the department of theatre and dance this quarter, tells the story of a writer, Mr. Condomine, who negotiates the realm of the after life when researching the art of the seance for a story.

The play combines elements of fantasy and suspense in this World War II-era comedy, which is the only comedy being produced by the department this season.

Tom Gough, a Santa Clara alumnus and guest artist to Santa Clara for the quarter, is the director of the British comedy written by Noel Coward, which was originally produced in 1941 in London.

"It is a typical British comedy, filled with witticisms, barbs and insults," Gough said.

Gough was familiar with the play prior to directing it, but admits to finding the upper-class dialect and upper-crust vocabulary a bit challenging. Although the cast was coached in the standard British dialect of another era, they managed to find a modern day reference in the FOX show "Family Guy":

"The dialect is of extreme high class and has to be spot on," he said. "I've had a lot of Stewie (Griffin, of "The Family Guy") moments. It's just amazing how good Seth McFarlane does in playing Stewie, who is actually supposed to be an evil version of Rex Harrison, the actor who plays my character in the film version of the play," Adrian Valente, who plays Mr. Condomine, said.

Valente admitted that despite the Stewie archetype, he did have a hard time breaking his vocal habits, especially since he had to alter the tone of his voice to a much higher one and practice difficult pronunciations.

The play's content was meant to distract its audience from the advancing Nazi party and the looming threat of World War II. It does so through its comic dabbling in the world of the supernatural.

"The genre taps into the curiosity that we all have to play with a Ouija board or partake in a seance," Gough, who has actually partaken in one real-life seance, said. "This is a well-constructed version of that curiosity."

Through a bizarre coincidence, Mr. Condomine, a novelist who hosts a seance as research for a book, begins to experience what he is writing about. He conjures up the spirit of his deceased first wife, Elvira, with the help of the town's clairvoyant, Madame Arcati. Once conjured, Elvira remains a character in the action, despite the fact that Condomine has remarried since her passing.

Elvira's personality can be described as "blithe," hence the title of the play.

"She enjoyed the nightlife and really liked to boogie," stage manager Zell Williams said. Elvira's personality lends itself to a humorous contrast between the first bride and Condomine's more proper and reserved second wife.

Williams and the rest of the cast and crew have been rehearsing since the beginning of winter quarter, holding between three and six rehearsals per week. The play is longer than most at nearly three hours long, with three acts and two intermissions, as opposed to the contemporary standard of two acts and one intermission.

"Despite its length, it goes by fast because of the situational comedy aspect," Joseph O'Malley, who plays Dr. Bradman, said.

"Sometimes it gets so funny, I've had a hard time keeping a straight face during rehearsals," Valente agreed.

Gough considers the light-hearted humor to be a germane aspect of the play.

"It deals with real human circumstances," he said. "There are no serious messages or themes, just the national pride and light entertainment that was important during the time it was produced. The themes are simple and universal: love, relationships and especially the afterlife, which we all wonder about."

Gough describes "Blithe Spirit" as "out and out fun" and urges all students to come out and see the talent of his cast.

"It will be more titillating and memorable than drowning your leisure time in a keg," he said. "Since it is the only true comedy of the season, you will laugh more than at other productions. It is just one zinger after another."

The play opens Friday and will run through the weekend. It will continue the following weekend, starting on Wed., March 2. The show takes place in Mayer Theatre and student tickets cost $5.

* Contact Emily Bjorklund at (408) 554-4546 or ebjorklund@scu.edu.