Christine Ebersole to star in BLITHE SPIRIT Revival

Scheduled to open in Feb.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/theater/30arts-FOOTNOTES_BRF.html?_r=1&ref=theater&oref=slogin

Ooh, I'm looking forward to that. This year looks like it's going to be better for plays than musicals.

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"Angela Lansbury and Rupert Everett are said to be on the wish list."

Now THAT's exciting.

I'll be going to see this for the sole purpose of seeing Christine, but Ebersole and Lansbury together in one show?! That very well may kill me.

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Updated On: 9/29/08 at 09:48 PM

No way Lansbury could play THAT physical of a role 8 shows a week (and remember her lines). Would be lovely though...

Lansbury and Ebersole in the same show? That is the stuff of dreams, for me. But I'd still see the show with Christine.

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Please excuse my ignorance of the material, but from the Wiki-synopsis I read I couldn't figure out which role Ebersole would be playing: the dead wife haunting, he current wife, or the eccentric medium?

The article both here and in the NYT doesn't mention it.

Updated On: 9/29/08 at 11:02 PM

I'm assuming Ebersole will be Elvira (the dead wife), but she could be playing the living one. Usually Mme Arcatti is played by a much older woman...

I saw this play at the critically acclaimed Trinity Repertory production last season...however, I'd only be interested in seeing this funny play on Broadway with a stellar cast, and Ebersole is a good start!

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She's a perfect choice...she really is. I'm laughing right now thinking about her in this role.

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Elvira is the "funny" role. She's the ghost of the dead first wife. Ruth is the live second wife, but she's more of a "straight" part (aka, non-comedic). Both are sizable female roles though.

Ruth's part might actually be bigger than Elvira's (but I think Elvira has the showier part).

Madame Arcati is a character role (the eccentric medium who calls forth the spirit of Elvira during a seance), and is almost a supporting role. She's only in two scenes, but they're both great.

It would be fantastic if Lansbury would do it. It's not a huge role but she would be wonderful in it.

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Other new musicals this season: [tos] and 13.

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Interesting parallels I forgot:

I saw the 1987 revival w/ Richard Chamberlain, Geraldine Page, Judith Ivey and Blythe Danner. Page was wonderful (and got a best actress nomination). Ivey was perfect making me feel that Ruth can be a better role. The mischievous ghost versus the frustrated and out of the loop present wife. Danner was too mannered, imo. I felt the same way when they starred AGAIN together in the revival of Follies, Danner bugged the crap out of me.

I'd rather see High Spirits, especially with Ebersole and Lansbury. Then Ebersole could recreate another Tammy Grimes role, the first being in 42nd Street, and win another BA in a Musical tony. Grimes wasnt nominated for either role. Bea Lillie was nominated as Madame Arcata for Best Actress (the role was expanded for her), and Louise Troy was nom'd as Supp. Actress for playing Ruth. Noone won for this show, though it was nom'd for 8 tonys...it was the year of Hello Dolly.

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Regarding Blithe Spirit vs. High Spirits... I've seen two productions of High Spirits, and despite the genuine quality of that score, that show never really quite works as well as you'd hope it would. I think it's because the songs, once they state their premise, don't really have much more to say. So the action of the play stops dead for three or four minutes, a song unfolds, and then the play starts up again.

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