Blithe Spirit Tickets - Apollo Theatre

Blithe Spirit

Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit is one of those comic gems that has managed to keep audiences entertained since the 1940s when it first premiered and earned a record-breaking run in the West End. So it is no surprise to see it appear on the stage once again, this time at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue, with Alison Steadman in a lead role and directing duties falling on the director of this year’s hit “The Misanthrope” at the Comedy Theatre – Thea Sharrock.

Blithe Spirit was first seen by audiences at the Manchester Opera House in 1941, with West End audiences having to wait an extra month for its arrival at the Piccadilly Theatre. It was an instant success and remained at the location for a then-record breaking number of performances.

And just as that version was first seen in Manchester, this version will first be seen by audiences at the Theatre Royal in Bath from November, ahead of the West End premiere in March 2011 when it will undoubtedly turn many heads and make a huge impression.

The comic tale tells of a writer, married to his second wife Ruth, by the name of Charles Condomine, who turns to an unlikely source for inspiration for his latest novel. With his dinner guests in attendance he hires a medium by the name of Madame Arcati (Steadman) to provide everyone with some memorable entertainment that will give him plenty of food for thought. But Condomine’s plan backfires when Arcati manages to conjure up a spirit after all, who is about to turn the evening upside down. And it’s not just any spirit; it’s the spirit of his first wife Elvira, who is dead set on tearing his current marriage apart.

Alison Steadman is an acclaimed actress who is held in high regard, particularly for her Laurence Olivier Award-winning turn in the original production of “The Rise and Fall of Little Voice” alongside Jane Horrocks in 1993. Her career has brought her positive attention, not just on the stage, but also in television programmes and movies, with further credits that include “Entertaining Mr Sloane” at the Arts Theatre in 2001 and movies such as “Confetti”.

Blithe Spirit” makes its appearance at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue from Wednesday 9th March 2011 (previews from Wednesday 2nd March 2011) to Saturday 18th June 2011.