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Richmond Theatre, Richmond Mon, 21st February 2011 - Sat, 26th February 2011 From £18.00*Starring Alison Steadman By Noel Coward Directed by Thea Sharrock 'A classic of high English comedy…addictively entertaining' Daily Telegraph Blithe Spirit opened in 1941 when it played for over 2,000 performances and hugely raised wartime spirits. It has been one of the world’s favourite comedies ever since. Its razor-sharp wit and wonderful characters have continued to raise spirits both in the audience and on stage. Novelist Charles Condomine and his second wife Ruth are literally haunted by a past relationship when an eccentric medium manages to conjure up the ghost of Charles’s neurotic first wife, Elvira, at a seance. They have assumed the preposterous Madame Arcati is a fraud who will simply entertain their dinner guests with a little chicanery and supply Charles with material for his forthcoming novel. But when Elvira appears, visible only to Charles, and determined to sabotage his current marriage, life – and the afterlife – begin to get complicated. Alison Steadman plays the improbable clairvoyant, one of theatre’s most hilarious comic creations. Alison Steadman is one of our best-loved and most prolific actresses who recently enjoyed a West End run in Alan Bennett's Enjoy. Also on stage she created the role of the monstrous Beverly in Mike Leigh's Abigail's Party and starred in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, for which she won an Olivier Award. Her films include Shirley Valentine and Mike Leigh's Life Is Sweet and Topsy Turvy. Television work includes Fat Friends, Selling Hitler, The Singing Detective, Pride and Prejudice and Gavin & Stacey. Thea Sharrock is an award-winning director who has previously worked with Daniel Radcliffe, Keira Knightley and Damian Lewis in the West End. Her production of Rattigan's After the Dance is currently running at the National Theatre. 'A beautifully structured comedy' Times 'Coward is pure entertainment' Daily Mail
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