Blithe Spirit to be performed by the Mt. Pleasant Community Theater

The Mt. Pleasant Community Theater is presenting a production of Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit” Feb. 11-12 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. at the Heatilator Performing Arts Center.

The play is a comedic twist on “True Love Never Dies.” The production is about the novelist and socialite Charles Condomine, played by Jack Thomas, who invites the eccentric medium and clairvoyant Madame Arcati, played by Talisa Jacobs, into his home to conduct a seance.

As a means to gathering material for Condomine’s upcoming book, the seemingly benign seance backfires and Condomine is now haunted by the ghost of his first wife Elvira, played by Jenny Wilkerson. Annoying and temperamental, Elvira makes continual attempts to disrupt Condomine’s marriage to his second wife, Ruth, played by Kayleigh Septer, who cannot see or hear the ghost.

The remaining cast for the production are Becky Morey as Edith, Bob Becker as Dr. Bradman, and Carrie Muhs as Mrs. Bradman.

“This is my first, full-fledged, stage production,” said “Blythe Spirit” Director Kyle Essex. “I was assistant director for the last Mt. Pleasant Community Theater production of ‘A Period of Adjustment’ in 2020.”

“The production is going well,” said Essex. “There have been some new things about directing a play that I have had to get used to, but the cast has been terrific. They have done a great job, all of the people that have put time and effort into this have been wonderful.”

The decision to do “Blythe Spirit” came about because the community theater group had not done any full-length productions since 2020, and they wanted to do a comedy that the audience might enjoy.

“It’s a comedy that doesn’t require an elaborate set,” said Essex. “And it is a well know script. We are aware that there is a modern movie in 2020 that was made, but we are trying to hold to the original Noel Coward’s production that was released in 1941.”

Contact Michelle Hillestad at michelle.hillestad@southeastiowaunion.com