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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2017)
10A • October 6, 2017 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com Noel Coward’s classic comedy makes witty use of words ‘Blithe Spirit’ comes to The Coaster Theatre By Patrick Webb For EO Media Group Actors don’t usually accept roles and then leave on vacation just after rehearsals begin. But for Karen Martin, who plays the medium, Madame Arcati, in the Coaster Theatre production of “Blithe Spirit,” it helped in her preparation. Martin was cast by direc- tor Edward James, then flew to England on a long-planned trip — taking her script to learn her dialogue. “I was on a train, and I heard this women talking,” Martin said. “It turned out she was a professional actress, so I asked her how to say some of my lines. We ended up reading them together. It was lovely to spend a little time with her.” Martin’s refined British ac- cent can be heard in the com- edy, which runs through Satur- day, Oct. 28, with Friday and Saturday evening shows and a couple of Sunday matinees. “Blithe Spirit” tells the story of a socialite writer (played by Coaster regular David Swee- ney) who invites a spiritualist to stage a séance to provide ma- terial for a book on the occult. However, she conjures up the spirit of his dead wife, El- vira (Ellen Jensen), who is de- termined to spoil his happiness with his second wife, Ruth (Katrina Godderz). Comedy ensures, in part because Ruth cannot see Elvira. To tell more would spoil any surprises for first-time attendees, but it must be said the comedy does have a dark side. The director, James, is an Astoria native who returned to his hometown about 10 years ago. He had a professional act- ing/directing career that took him all over the country, includ- ing New York. He moved to Portland some 20 years ago and credits the box-office success of a production of “Blithe Spirit,” in which he starred, with keep- Suave writer Charles (David Sweeney) chats amiably with his second wife, Ruth (Katrina Godderz, at right) while the interfering ghost of his first wife, Elvira (Ellen Jensen, cen- ter), does everything possible to spoil their relationship. If you go “Blithe Spirit,” a comedy by Noel Coward WHERE: The Coaster Theatre, Cannon Beach WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 28; 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15 PHOTOS BY PATRICK WEBB The exertion of the séance appears too much for collapsed medium Madame Arcati, played by Karen Martin, as Charles (David Sweeney) and his second wife, Ruth (Katrina Godderz, at left) look on. The spirit of Charles’ first wife, Elvira (Ellen Jensen), center, is also present, and the comedy in the show occurs, in part, because Ruth cannot see her. ing his Jupiter Theater troupe afloat in its first season. The play is often staged in community theater, in part because it has three strong fe- male roles. To prepare a fresh interpretation, James watched video of Italian and Mexican versions, which accentuate the argumentative exchanges be- tween the characters and high- light the ghost’s appearances. An Anglophile, he hopes author Noel Coward’s witty use of words will excite his cast and entertain the audience. “Working in the language of Coward is a delight,” he said. “If you can get people to come, then theater can do what the- ater does — and that’s to open minds and make us more capa- ble of communication.” The play fosters the art of conversation. “There are events in the play, but what holds our interest is the joy of language, and the battle of language.” Coward created memorable scripts in which the outcome is rarely what the audience expects, spawning decades of edgy British comedy that mor- phed from the witty radio and TV classics of the 1960s into the Monty Python phenom- enon that followed. During World War II, he went on va- cation after his London home was bombed and wrote “Blithe Spirit” during an intense six- day typing session. Creating a play about ghosts for a wartime audience was a risk, but humor offered an escape from troubled times. (Similarly, his “Private Lives” made its debut in 1930 amid the global financial crisis.) “Blithe Spirit” ran for almost 2,000 per- formances, beating the record. Coward reportedly said, “dis- daining archness and false mod- esty, I will admit that I knew it was witty, I knew it was well constructed, and I also knew that it would be a success.” It opened in London in 1941 with Margaret Rutherford as the medium, a role she would reprise in Coward’s 1945 movie adaptation starring Rex Harrison. Coward himself and John Gielgud acted in other early stage productions; Clif- ton Webb featured in the first Broadway version. Much later, revivals featured Angela Lans- bury as Madame Arcati and earned her a fifth Tony Award. “She’s the most interesting character,” James said, recall- Alaina Giguiere Marty Giguiere Owner/Principal Broker c: 503.440.3202 f: 877.812.1126 e: alainagiguiere@mac.com Owner/Broker c: 503.440.7676 o: 503.436.1777 e: mr007@pacifier.com Coastal Advantage 503.436.1777 • CoastalAdvantage.com TICKETS: $20 or $25, call 503-436-1242 or log on to coastertheatre.com/box-office BOX OFFICE: Open 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday; performance days, 1 p.m. to curtain time. ing one line in which the robust woman shrugs off the physical exertion of cycling seven miles. “It’s the one that everyone wants to play. She’s a fake, but what happens in the show is her biggest success.” Martin, North Coast theater regular, is savoring the opportu- nity. “Edward says she is really a phony, but I also know that she doesn’t realize that she is a phony. She is serious about what she has done — so that makes it very comic.” Sweeney, a North Coast pastor, takes the male lead of Charles, who is not all he seems. “We find out that in both of his marriages they were not being truthful with each other,” James said. “We find out he is extremely shallow, but had two beautiful women in his life. We Egrane Brown Susan Tone Broker c: 503.440.1648 e: egranebrown@gmail.com Broker c: 503.354.4072 e: suanetone@nehalemtel.net Maryann Sinkler Andrea Mace Geri Lane Broker c. 503.440.9280 e: maryanns@remax.net Broker c. 503-440-4024 e: Andrea.k.mace@remax.net Broker c: 503.480.9846 e: gerilane@remax.net Hilary Herman Shelley Parker Broker c: 503-791-4718 e: HilaryHerman@hotmail.com Broker c: 503-739-1977 e: Shelley.Parker@mail.com NOW WITH 2 LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU! 219 N. Hemlock in Downtown Cannon Beach 503.436.1777 430 Laneda in Downtown Manzanita 503.368.1777 /REMAXCoastalAdvantage 723 OAK Member of 2 MLS Systems Each office is independently owned & operated 79070 COVE BEACH RD have all met that guy. He’s ‘on’ all of the time, and when you are ‘on’ all of the time you are not reflective.” Sweeney is relishing the role. “He is sort of a ‘type’ from the 30s or 40s. He never real- ly settled down,” he said. “He got married, but that didn’t stop other things from happening. So it’s karma — comic karma.” Others appearing are Thom- as and Cathey Ryan as a mar- ried couple and Evelyn Isakson as the maid. Several cast members are making their Coaster debuts, and Martin delights in that. “Doing community theater, you make friends with people that you work with over and over, and then you welcome new people in, and they all get to be like family,” she said. 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