Haylofters’ latest play opens tonight
Just how much havoc can the “other side” wreak?
That’s the question Noel Coward proposed in his 1940s play, “Blithe Spirit.” The show takes the stage at the Malt House Theater in Burlington, produced by the Haylofters, starting today.
The show will run April 26-28, May 4-6 and May 11-13. Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows start at 7:30 p.m., while Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m.
Coward wrote Blithe Spirit in 1941 just after his house had been the recipient of a direct hit from a Luftwaffe bomb. His response was to pen a comedy based on a medium who brings the wrong person back from the dead.
The story features Charles Condomine (played by Dan Casey), a writer who invites the medium Madame Arcati (played by Haylofters veteran Joan Carr) into his home to perform a séance to get material for his next book.
Guests that evening include his second wife, Ruth (played by Vicky Ippolito), the Bradmans (played by John Gregoles and Mary Hubbard Nugent – a veteran director from the Hayloft stepping onto the stage for a change) and, rather unexpectedly, the ghost of Charles’ first wife, Elvira (played by Janaan Rose of Illinois).
Hilarity ensues when Ruth realizes that Charles is telling the truth about Elvira, and all avenues to dispelling the ghost are pursued. In the end, Madame Arcati and the family’s new maid, Edith (played by Jennifer Eisenbart) both play a role in the resolution.
The play is being directed by Dylan Epping, another Haylofter vet in his first directing stint, with costumes by Kaitlin Kobernick and Bette Schinder, and the set design by Matt Bienemann. The stage manager is Melissa Rodriguez.
Tickets are available at the Haylofters box office prior to the show, at the Grater Tater, located at 140 W. Chestnut Street, or online at www.thehaylofters.com.
Tickets are $10.
If you go…
What: Haylofters production of the Noel Coward comedy “Blithe Spirit.”
When: April 26-28, May 4-6 and May 11-13. Thursday-Saturday shows at 7 p.m., Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
Where: The Malt House Theater, 109 N. Main St., Burlington.
Tickets: $10 each and available at the Malt House box office, the Grater Tater, 130 W. Chestnut St., or online at www.thehaylofters.com.
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