LET THIS 'BLITHE SPIRIT' MOVE YOU!

Kristie Ohlinger is Elvira in EPAC's "Blithe Spirit."

An urbane British writer and his wife. Friends with whom they can spend a witty evening around the séance table. A kooky-but-committed psychic medium. A wacky maid who could crack the four-minute mile in heels. A glamorous, determined ghost of a long-dead wife, conjured from The Great Beyond against her will.

Put these interesting characters in the hands of British playwright Noel Coward, and a great Ephrata Performing Arts Center cast in the hands of director Rich Repkoe, and you’ve got “Blithe Spirit.”

The cast is about halfway through its run of this breezy, paranormal farce, being performed on the stage of the Sharadin Bigler Theatre in Ephrata. The show will transport you to that wonderful, funny, entertaining place in which we all engage our minds and spirits when we’re watching really satisfying summer theater.

I’ve seen the show, and can assure you that you’ll have a great time listening to the witty banter among these players. And you’ll LOVE the special effects once the ghostly gang has its poltergeist-ly way with the props (by Fran Hill and Monica Daniels). 

I cackled aloud listening to Lynne Demers-Hunt and Tim Spiese as Ruth and Charles Condomine toss around a whole lot of bon mots, sometimes along with Dr. and Mrs. Bradman, played by Rob Adams and Tricia Corcoran. Elizabeth Pattey will crack you up as the delightful Madame Arcati, a bicycle-riding medium whose dramatic trances engender unintended consequences.

Emily Martin’s Edith the Maid will delightfully exhaust you with her desperate-to-please-her-employer antics – her fleet feet and her balancing act with trays of drinks.

And wait until Kristie Ohlinger glides onto the stage as the divine Elvira, the ghost of Charles’ first wife! This blithe spirit has got some unfinished business with the corporeal world, and mischief on her mind regarding Charles and Ruth.

And let’s give it up for the design team!  Victor Capecce’s drawing-room set, Josh Starr’s lighting, Andy Babin’s sound and Janell Berte’s stunning costumes work together well to recreate the time period (Coward wrote the play in 1941), and evoke all the ghostly goings-on. Technical Director Beth Lewis and Stage Manager Rachel Snavely have helped Rich Repkoe put together a wonderful night of theater for the EPAC audience.

You have six more chances to see it … so call 733-7966 for tickets (or visit the Web site). The show runs through June 23.

-- Mary Ellen (“Merv”) Wright