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This well-loved frothy Coward comedy is subtitled by Coward "an improbable farce," with good reason. Truly a product of its time, this play now seems simultaneously frozen in time (in pre-war upper-middle class Kent, that is), yet strangely nostalgic. No surprise then that Blithe Spirit is undergoing a rapid revival with amateur dramatic companies up and down the country, whose audiences presumably lap it up with the same enthusiasm as they would a cream tea. Coward's text retains a superficial glossy formality that suggests the reappearance of one's late wife in the company of one's current spouse is socially awkward and a trifle embarrassing but not just cause to lose your stiff upper lip. Subtext? Forget it! Just slide down the verbal glissando interplay, then go home happy. Not a deep, meaningful or consequential work, but enjoyable nonetheless. Like your Chinese takeway, consume with pleasure, but expect to want another one in an hour's time!
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