TO CHASE THE WINTER BLAHS
COME SEE
Noel Coward's
Blithe Spirit comes to Concord Players' stage
Spectral farce brought welcome laughter
to wartime London
"Very gay, superficial comedy about a ghost. Feel it may be good." That's how Noel Coward described the script of Blithe Spirit in a letter to a friend. It was good. Very good. Coward wrote Blithe Spirit in
six days during the German blitz of London in 1941 while feisty
Londoners were sleeping in tunnels, rationing food and plodding through
the rubble of burned-out buildings. Unfazed, Coward retired to Wales to
write an "improbable farce" about an upper class household haunted by
ghosts. It was exactly what war-weary Londoners needed. They loved
it. Audiences on Broadway loved it too, where it opened just four
months after its London debut.
Coward's singular gift for language ensured that Blithe Spirit
would enjoy countless revivals on two continents. The story hit the big
screen in 1945 starring Rex Harrison. Now this "psychic ménage-a-trois" is coming to the Concord Players' stage. It promises to be as funny, fresh and farcical as it was 75 years ago.
As the play opens, novelist Charles Condomine is preparing to host a séance in preparation for his new book, Unseen.
He invites eccentric psychic Madame Arcati to preside, expecting
nothing more than a silly escapade. When his long-dead first wife Elvira
makes a spectral appearance, Charles finds himself in a delicate
position with his current and very much alive wife, Ruth.
In this day of digital sophistication, it's a plot that could
engender a big yawn. But Coward's genius endures, especially under
Kristin Hughes' gifted direction and set designer Allen Bantly's
mesmerizing special effects.
Take your cue from Noel Coward, who thumbed his nose at the Luftwaffe. Come to Blithe Spirit for an evening of hearty laughter and tell Old Man Winter to take a hike!
Blithe Spirit, written by Noel Coward. Directed by Kristin Hughes. Produced byAndrea Roessler and Kathy Lague. Dates: February 10, 11, 17, 18, 19 (matinee), 24, 25, 2017. For tickets & Info, go to the Players website
--Linda McConchie
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AND FOR SPRING, DON'T FORGET TO AUDITION FOR
The Concord Players have announced auditions for its spring 2017 production of The Producers.
Stage directed by Brian Kelly, with music directed by Lee Condakes and
choreographed by Katie Alexander. Audition dates: Wednesday, January 4,
from 7-10 p.m. and Saturday, January 7, from 1-5 p.m. in Ward Hall at
The Fenn School, Concord MA. Callbacks Sunday, January 8, at 2 p.m.
at 51 Walden. Go to signup for more information and to sign up.
JANUARY EVENTS AT 51 WALDEN
January 7, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. Concord Youth Theatre Cabaret, Partners in Song. A fun-filled evening of song, skits and dance by high school and college students. Tickets are $25/$40/$50, available on-line
January 27 and 28, 2017, at 8:00 p.m. The 
Concord Orchestra Winter Concert: Spheres of Revolution, featuring
Nathaniel Abreu, the winner of the Young Artist Competition, performing
Kabelevsky's Cello Concerto No. 1. Nathaniel attends the New England Conservatory of Music Preparatory School, where he studies cello with Sam Ou. He
won first place in the NEC Prep Concerto Competition in 2015, and his
chamber groups were featured in the 2012, 2013, and 2015 Chamber Music
Showcase Gala Concerts in Jordan Hall. He is a member of the
Youth Symphony (principal cellist) directed by Steven Karidoyanes, and
he has performed most recently with cellist Owen Young of the
Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Also on the program is Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 (Eroica) and
Symphonic Variations by Lutoslawski. Tickets are $25/$10. Call 978
369-4967 to reserve or buy on-line
January 29, 2017, at 3:00 p.m.
Hammond Real Estate Concert Series. Free concert of chamber music
performed by violinist Yevgeny Kutik and pianist Dina Volnshtein. For
more information or to reserve a seat, call 978 369-3999. |
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