Southern Miss Theatre’s Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward Opens March 31

Tue, 03/29/2022 - 03:21pm | By: Ivonne Kawas

The University of Southern Mississippi (USM)’s Theatre program, housed in the School of Performing and Visual Arts, continues its season on March 31 with Noël Coward’s classic comedy Blithe Spirit. In-person tickets are now available.

The production continues on April 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m., and a matinée performance on April 3 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 seniors, military, faculty and staff, and $8 for students.

Noël Coward’s classic comedy tells the tale of a ghostly love triangle. The last thing Charles Condomine expected when inviting Madame Arcati to his house was that he would once again encounter the spirit of his late wife, Elvira. It’s probably a good thing his second wife, Ruth, can’t hear or see what her predecessor is up to. This hilarious haunting has been delighting audiences for 70 years.

“Rarely have such big questions about death and the afterlife been explored with such wit and hilarity,” said Dr. David Coley, Producer and Assistant Professor of Theatre at Southern Miss. “Blithe Spirit will prove to be a delightful occasion for all audiences.”

Blake Waters, student and director of the production, believes that this production brings healing through laughter as we emerge from a pandemic, just as the show’s premier did when it came out in the midst of WWII.

“With seances, ghosts, and mystic mischief, we see Charles Condomine, a successful author, haunted by his former wife Elvira,” said Waters. “What unfolds is a search for what ‘Always’ really means in love and marriage.”

“Working on this play has been an absolute joy. My job as a director is to lead a group of artists in the telling of this story. The cast, designers, and crew have done beautiful work to be able to present this fun and exciting comedy that I can’t wait to share with the audience,” Waters added.

Cody Alexander, an MFA Performance Candidate, is the lead actor for the performance. He describes his experience playing Charles Condomine in Blithe Spirit to be a refreshing challenge.

“As an actor not only do I need to memorize my lines and utilize my character and script analysis like I do for all productions, but in this particular role, I also have the added challenges of researching time period, and the paranormal, learning the British dialect and decorum, and utilizing physical comedy in the genre of farce,” Alexander said.

“This was the dream role I never knew I had. I have learned more from this process than perhaps any other that I have been a part of,” he added.

Find more information about the schedule and tickets by visiting southernmisstickets.com.