Spring doesn't officially arrive until next weekend, but last night, a blast of warm, comic air blew over Broadway with the opening of director Michael Blakemore's delightful revival of
Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit at the Shubert Theatre. I saw this production a couple of weeks ago with the rest of the crew here at
Applause and we fell in love with the show, its cast and most especially the legendary Angela Lansbury. What a simple pleasant evening of laughs and great entertainment. Most of the critics seem to agree with me on this. I've taken all of the critics reviews and posted them below for your reading pleasure.
[
NYT ] The Medium as the Messenger, by Ben Brantley
This genial but bumpy new revival of Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit stars Angela Lansbury in her juiciest role in years.
[
NYP ] Spirit Willing, Flash Weak, by Elisabeth Vincentelli
Like her character, daffy medium Madame Arcati, Angela Lansbury creates mischievous chaos in Blithe Spirit—some of her co-stars seem to struggle to keep pace with her somewhat loose M.O.
[
DN ] Angela Lansbury moves us, but Blithe Spirit doesn't, by Joe Dziemianowicz
Watching the 83-year-old Lansbury work her magic is endless fun. Otherwise, director Michael Blakemore doesn't offer much in terms of imagination in this revival.
[
ND ] Angela Lansbury takes Blithe Spirit to heights, by Linda Winer
Angela Lansbury is delicious, but it's odd that director Michael Blakemore does not locate more of the luxurious, brittle sheen and the high-style physical humor in this farce about a married novelist bewitched by the ghost of his first wife.
[
NY1 ] Reviewed by David Cote
Broadway will always have its ghosts. They say the specters of past troupers and producers hover through the back alleys and theaters of the Great White Way. Well, now there's another apparition to be found on the Rialto, and it's frightfully funny. The play is Blithe Spirit, the champagne-light supernatural farce by Noel Coward, and it should continue to haunt the Shubert for a good long time.
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AP ] Lansbury and company wittily spin Blithe Spirit, by Michael Kuchwara
Light and airy requires heavy lifting—theatrically speaking. And for the most part, the starry cast of the latest Broadway revival of Blithe Spirit delivers the goods, artfully keeping the classic Noel Coward comedy spinning merrily.
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B ] Lansbury's Comic Psychic Lights Up Fervent Spirit, by John Simon
When a scintillating comedy, masterly direction and superior performances come together, what have you got? A rip-roaring revival of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit that lights up Broadway's Shubert Theatre.
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V ] Reviewed by David Rooney
While the dry martinis flow freely among hosts and guests alike in Blithe Spirit, those libations do little to loosen up Michael Blakemore's classy but stiff Broadway revival. There are sparkling moments, thanks mostly to the light touch of the sublime Jayne Atkinson and the comedic life-force of Angela Lansbury because she's, well, Angela Lansbury. But overall this is a wispy ectoplasm of the 1941 Noel Coward ghost comedy rather than a full-bodied materialization.
[
BS ] Reviewed by David Sheward
This Blithe Spirit is like spending a pleasant afternoon tea with a favorite aunt. You'll be served familiar treats and hear familiar stories, but with Angela Lansbury and friends handing out the goodies, you know you'll enjoy yourself.
[
CU ] Reviewed by Elyse Sommer
With New Yorkers being blitzed with bad news about the economy, their job security and the difficulties of ending two unpopular wars, the producers of the latest revival of this wartime-prompted ghost story may well be right in thinking that it will once again prove to be a perfect escape from grim reality.
You can get great seats to this show just by calling
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"BLITHE SPIRIT" and
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That's right theatre fans. Noel Coward's drawing room comedy Blithe Spirit will play it's final performance on Sunday July 19. The show which opened to favorable reviews features a bevy of Broadway favorites including Angela Lansbury who won her fifth Tony Award for Best Featured Actress this past Sunday for her hilarious portrayal as Madame Arcati. According to press notes the play tells the story of "Author Charles Condomine, who hires an eccentric medium to perform a seance at his house party in order to find material for an expose he's writing. Unbeknownest to him, she winds up summoning the spirit of his first wife, Elvira, who is out to seek revenge on her former husband." I personally did not see the show but the chance to see a Broadway legend like Ms. Lansbury may be too hard to pass up. Maybe I'll give it a try. Plus if you call Applause now we can get you tickets to see Blithe Spirit at below face value. Not a bad deal right?
