One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Cheeky Ghosts and Post-Mortem Slapstick in Blithe Spirit
Scott Lowell and Abby Craden in Blithe Spirit. (Photo courtesy of A Noise Within.)
Blithe Spirit is currently running as part of A Noise Within's 19th season. Cheeky physical comedy drives Noel Coward's story of a pre-war ecoplasmic menage a trois peppered with quirky characters and domestic disputes. Coincidentally, the play aptly takes place amid the stoic shadows of the Historic Masonic Temple in Glendale -- a perfect contextual setting for a high-brow ghost story.Working through a perfectly chosen cast and just enough ethereal eeriness to make the audience sweat, director Damaso Rodriguez does an exemplary job of balancing the strong theatrical elements of Blithe Spirit. Comedic banter is tactfully blended with strong character eccentricities, while clever staging enhances subtle slapstick. Rodriguez does not drown the play in overly gimmicky theatrical effects, but instead allows the inherent wit of Coward's dialogue to shine through.
Scott Lowell beams in the lead role of novelist Charles Condomine. Lowell's presentation of dry humor is refined and naturally energetic, giving the entire production a distinctively buoyant and crisp quality. Avoiding the slurred childish chalkiness of the 1945 Technicolor version of Elvira Condomine, Abby Craden is a superior incarnation of Coward's acrid apparition. Craden is both creepy and sultry at once -- a seemingly weightless, slightly bawdy and Gothic ghost with excellent comedic timing. Swathed in an envy-evoking vintage wardrobe, the graceful Jill Van Velzer plays straight woman Ruth Condomine flawlessly with a beautifully executed final exit.
Blithe Spirit is playing at A Noise Within until December 17, 2010 at 234 S. Brand Boulevard, Glendale, CA 91204. Tickets can be obtained via phone at 818-240-0910 or online at www.anoisewithin.org.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
