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Bright costumes, a spacious set and the small, tightknit cast work wonderfully well together to bring to life the Vermillion Players’ latest offering "Blithe Spirit," which opens tonight at the Chautauqua Park Pavilion.
A farce by Noel Coward, "Blithe Spirit" centers on a husband and wife, Charles and Ruth, played by Jim Wolfe and Renee Miller, Elvira, Played by Jane Casson.
Wolfe is wonderful as a novelist who is intelligent, witty and somewhat callous. Contemplating an upcoming séance, the conversation turns to his late first wife. "She has a great talent for living; it’s a great pity she died so young." he states. "She was fascinating and maddening, but morally untidy, " he adds.
Charles and Ruth are hosting a dinner party in which their friends, Dr. Bradman and his wife, played by Steven Lynch and Connie Grider, are invited to a séance. The object is not to arouse the dead, but Charles wants to study the medium’s mannerisms for a book he is writing.
The four actors work together well, engaging in lighthearted banter until the medium, Madame Arcati, played with great comedy by Barb Drummet, arrives.
Drummet makes the most of her scenes as the eccentric medium, with brilliant costumes and over-the-top gestures as she prepares for the séance.
Everyone thinks she is overreacting as she goes into a trance, but suddenly Wolfe can hear the voice of his dead wife. He cuts the party short.
Wolfe hits his stride when he must convince his wife, Ruth, that the séance brought his late wife, Elvira, whom no one else can see or hear.
There are many funny scenes where he is answering his dead wife with remarks his current wife thinks are aimed at her.
Miller and Casson handle their central characters very well and make their presence known even though their characters are widely divergent.
Ruth has gone from a very assured wife to one who is vacillates between jealousy and anger at the first wife.
Elvira, who is indeed a blithe spirit, enjoys the havoc she’s creating in the couple’s marriage.
It doesn’t help that Charles shows sympathy for each woman’s plight. Their only hope may be if Madame Arcati can send Elvira back to the other side.
 Karen Moen plays Edith, the couple’s maid, and Joycelyn Miller and Kalyn Miller round out the cast as cooks.
Danny Grider is director and has a set a good pace for the play which runs just over two hours with a 15-minute intermission. Grider use of prop changes to signify scene chances in time and circumstances is very effective.
The entire production is set at the home of Charles and Ruth. Steve Burnside has built a large, spacious set that serves the play perfectly. Set design and painting was handled by Ed and Joan E Lipinski.
"Blithe Spirit" opens tonight and continues through Sunday, with all performances at 8 p.m. It is the Vermillion Players final production for this season.
Producers are Wolfe and Jimmie Ramsey, who is also in charge of sound. Taylor Johnston and Paul Schaefer handle lighting, which is also used effectively for this production.
Rosemary Todd, Trish Stoeckel and Square West provided costumes.
The set crew includes Burnside, Schaefer, Ramsey, Steve Walters, Wolfe, Owen Wolfe, Henry Moen, Danny Grider and Ron Ingram. Stage furnishings and props were provided by Nancy Waschle, Pam Teske, Karen Moen, Virginia Asper, Drummet, Wrights Furniture, Terry and Margo McCoy and Joyce Baxter. Ben Diaz painted the Marquee.
Tammy Schaefer and Colette Vissering are in charge of concessions.
Daily Leader, August 9, 2001 - Story by Lois Westermeyer - Community Editor
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