REVIEW: MSJ THEATRE’S STYLISH “BLITHE SPIRIT”

The production nails the period look but can’t quite summon Coward’s quicksilver wit.

A Ghostly Comedy of Manners

Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit is an “improbable farce” first staged in 1941 that became an instant success on both sides of the Atlantic. The story follows novelist Charles Condomine, who invites the eccentric medium Madame Arcati to conduct a séance for research on his next book. The experiment backfires spectacularly when the ghost of Charles’s first wife, Elvira, materializes—visible only to him—and begins meddling in his marriage to his second wife, Ruth.

Coward’s play is famous for its cool, brittle humor and its own emotional detachment—a comedy of manners wrapped in the supernatural. The challenge lies in making the audience care about characters who rarely seem to care about anything themselves.

An Earnest Effort with Uneven Pacing

Mount St. Joseph University’s production approached that challenge with ambition and care. Director Lauren Carr guided the ensemble through Coward’s verbal maze with clear intent, though the pace occasionally dragged in the wordier exchanges. Some of the humor was lost when the staging forced much of the action upstage—especially around the bar scenes, where dialogue sometimes struggled to reach the audience.

Still, the production’s structure showed thoughtful choices. The adaptation condensed Coward’s original three-act script into two acts without sacrificing coherence, maintaining the story’s rhythm and sense of occasion. The result was a performance that understood Coward’s world, even if it didn’t always capture his razor-sharp tempo.

The Design Team 

If the comedy didn’t always sparkle, the visual world certainly did. The costuming was a standout—elegant, precise, and period-perfect. Each character’s wardrobe reflected both class and personality, from Ruth’s polished sophistication to Elvira’s ethereal shimmer. Her transformation from living wife to ghostly presence was handled with subtle artistry, as her palette shifted from warm tones to spectral whites.

The set design captured the charm of an English country home, complete with tasteful antiques and carefully chosen props. A few technical details—like a prominently visible clock forever frozen at 5:10—distracted from the otherwise polished environment. Still, the overall aesthetic reflected a strong visual sensibility and a clear understanding of Coward’s refined world.

The Performers

Connor Curtin as Charles Condomine gave a smooth, urbane performance as the witty novelist caught between two worlds—and two wives. His chemistry with both women lent charm and tension to the chaos.

Eva Mullins’s Ruth brought poise and precision to her performance, embodying a woman who prizes control in a world slipping rapidly out of it. Her transformation—from polished hostess to spectral presence—was one of the evening’s most striking visual arcs, though a touch more fire in her exchanges with Elvira might have sharpened the comedy.

As Elvira, Sarah Barton glided effortlessly between flirtatiousness and menace. Her playfulness kept the ghost’s antics buoyant while her sly smirks reminded us she’s not just here for fun.

The standout of the night was Jocelyn Snider’s Madame Arcati, whose boundless eccentricity and impeccable timing carried the show’s farcical edge. Snider leaned into the character’s quirks with fearless enthusiasm, particularly during the séance scene, where her comic energy lifted the entire room.

Supporting performances by Zachary Young and Sarah Haverbusch (Dr. and Mrs. Bradman) provided a pleasant, if restrained, backdrop of upper-class propriety. Chrissy Biggins, as the overzealous maid Edith, delivered some of the production’s broadest laughs—her exaggerated pacing across the room became a running gag that landed every time.

Shawn Says:

While the production hit a few bumps in pacing—and yes, that clock stubbornly stuck at 5:10 even as the characters mentioned the time eleven different times (a personal pet peeve in set design!)—Blithe Spirit at MSJ was still an earnest and ambitious effort. Tackling a 1941 play from another culture and era is no easy task, and this cast and creative team leaned into that challenge with admirable commitment. Their work offered not just entertainment but an education in what it takes to bring a theatrical classic to life in 2025. That alone deserves applause.

Bottom Line

Mount St. Joseph University’s Blithe Spirit delivered a stylish, sincere evening that looked the part, even when the humor didn’t fully land. Strong design and a spirited turn by Jocelyn Snider kept the show afloat, proving that even when Coward’s wit doesn’t quite crackle, the ghosts of good intentions can still charm an audience.

Get Tickets

Mount St. Joseph University Theatre’s Blithe Spirit runs through Nov. 14-15, 2025, at the Williams Recital Hall. Visit https://msjtheatre.booktix.com for tickets.