It’s a tale as old as time—a man’s wife dies, he gets remarried, and then a seance brings the dead man’s wife back from the grave to haunt his new wife until everyone dies… the end.

If that seems like a blithe plot, Noel Coward’s undisputed masterpiece Blithe Spirit, is so aptly named.

Theatre Calgary has mounted a production of the cannon of English theatre comedies, to give audiences a break from the troubles of the times, to spend a few hours of wit and whimsy that can only come from the summoning of a wraith.

Director Nikki Loach said the play really does offer that sense of escapism despite some parallels to our current times.

“Coward wrote it in the middle of the 1940s [London] Blitz. So they were being hammered by Germans, and you will not see any of that in this play. So, it’s a real piece of escapism. Times are really kind of anxiety-ridden these days for many reasons, and for many people. So here’s something interesting about coming to the theatre and just escaping,” Loach said.

Blithe Spirit has been a popular production since its initial run on the West End in 1941 but hasn’t been performed on Theatre Calgary’s stage since the 1989–90 season.

Loach said that in her take on the play she wanted to connect the different spheres of reality that the characters live in with their character arcs.

Familiar, but fresh

Almost symbolically to the play itself, she said that meant that Coward was acting in spirit as the second director for the production.

“I mean, we can only create theatre out of the place that we are in, so we have to look at our current times and say ‘how does this relate to a new audience? How is this fresh?” Loach said.

“But many times it feels like Noel Coward is directing the play. He’s so specific in what he says in his stage directions, and it’s almost that you can’t escape what he’s telling he’s such a, such a such a great theatre master.”

What audiences will get is the world-class Theatre Calgary set and costume experience, created by Scott Reid and Ralamy Kneeshaw respectfully, which reflected Loach’s vision of the tension between the supernatural, and the unnatural put-on-airs of the play’s setting.

Part of that vision is Emily Howard, who is playing Elvira in the production, being clothed in white and glitter making her a beacon on stage.

Howard said that it has been fun, but also a challenge to literally not always be the focus of attention against her fellow cast mates of Tyrell Crews, Louise Duff, Ali DeRegt, Meg Farhall, Christopher Hunt, and Corrine Kolso.

“I can feel people’s eyes on me. I do have to be careful of focus, though, and that’s been a big challenge. I’m this bright, glowing orb, and I have to find my moments when I can sneak and hide in the back or when I come forward. But it’s it’s quite fun, it’s very fun to play this otherworldly look,” she said.

Howard said that what drew her to the role of Elvira was just how delicious it is to play a character that haunts her husband.

“Elvira is fun because she gets to float in and messes around. She’s very playful, but I think really, what I hope people take away is this idea that we have different loves in our life or different relationships,” she said.

“I think that’s cool to think back to our relationships and why things maybe didn’t work, or why they did. Sometimes, like both Charles’s relationship with Ruth and Elvira is true. Both of them are true love, but just in different moments of their life. I just hope people can go away reflecting and thinking about that, too, but mostly just having fun.”

Blithe Spirit runs at the Max Bell Theatre at Arts Commons from March 18 to April 13. Tickets are on sale now at www.theatrecalgary.com/shows/2024-2025-blithe-spirit.