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SFA to present classic British comedy, 'Blithe Spirit'
Sylvia Bierschenk - February 7, 2007
Cast members of Stephen F. Austin State University School of
Theatre's production of Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit" rehearse a dinner
party scene. The classic British comedy will open Tuesday, Feb. 20,
and run through Saturday, Feb. 24, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA
campus. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Pictured, from the left, are Garland
senior Savannah Seilheimer, British exchange student Sionelle Mallon,
guest artist Jamie Couch and San Antonio senior Sean McDaniel.
NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - Hilarious hijinks and ghostly goings-on make up much of the action of Nöel Coward's "Blithe Spirit," according to Allen Oster, director of Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre's upcoming production of the play. The classic British comedy will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, through Saturday, Feb. 24, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.
The play is set in the country home of author and socialite Charles Condomine, a remarried widower, who, with his second wife, Ruth, invites eccentric psychic Madame Arcati to perform a séance at a dinner party. The fun starts when Arcati inadvertently conjures the ghost of Elvira, Charles' first wife, who wants him back.
The comedy premiered in July 1941 and became the longest running comedy in British theatre for three decades. In November of that same year, "Blithe Spirit" premiered in New York and received the 1942 New York Critics' Circle Award for the best play of the season by a foreign author.
The play has been revived numerous times and continues to be one of the most popular comedies of the English language.
Guest artist Jamie Couch, who teaches English at SFA, will portray Charles Condomine. As an SFA undergraduate, Couch appeared in the university's productions of "Medea," "MacBeth" and "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," and in 2001, he returned as a guest artist in "Hamlet."
Couch said he is happy to be part of the notable British comedy. I'm a great fan of British humor because it ranges from the subtle and sophisticated to the ridiculous and outlandish. This particular play might strike some as a suave version of 'Fawlty Towers.'"
A joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts, School of Theatre and University Series, "Blithe Spirit" is sponsored in part by Tipton Ford-Lincoln-Mercury of Nacogdoches.
At 7 p.m., prior to the opening night performance on Tuesday, Feb. 20, director Allen Oster will give an informative talk on the play in Griffith Gallery, located across the hall from W.M. Turner Auditorium. All audience members are invited to attend.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for students. For tickets or more information, please visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.