Blithe Spirit, which we saw at the National Theater, is a famous play written by Noel Coward. The plot centers around a wealthy socialite and writer, Charles Condomine, who lives in an upscale flat with his wife, Ruth Condomine, and their maid, Edith. Charles is writing a book about séances and psychics, and despite the fact that neither him nor Ruth particularly buy the subject, they invite a clairvoyant, Madame Arcati to the house to conduct a séance and watch her work. Angela Lansbury played Madam Arcati in this production.
In the midst of the séance, Madame Arcati accidentally summons the ghost of Charles’s first wife, the annoying and moody Elvira. What makes the play so hysterical is that Charles is the only person who can see her, much to the frustration of Ruth who is convinced that Charles is playing some kind of mean joke on her. The play proceeds from that point. It was witty and humorous, and so much fun to watch.
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| We made it! |
The play first premiered in the West End of London in 1941. It made its way to Broadway in 1987, and has done numerous re-spirited tours in London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, and obviously Washington, D.C., to name a few. It was adapted into a film in 1945, a television series in 1946 and 1948, a radio broadcast in 1983 and 2014, and a musical in 1964 (called High Spirits).
Of course, Janice and I went to see Angela Lansbury. We knew the play was going to be good, but that wasn’t the main reason we went. I’ve always really liked Angela Lansbury – I grew up watching Murder, She Wrote with my grandmother and still watch many of the reruns on Hallmark Channel or Netflix. Surprisingly, however, Angela Lansbury’s greatest achievements stretch much farther than her 12 years as the beloved Jessica Fletcher.
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| Janice in front of the sign |
Angela Lansbury was born October 16, 1925 in London.She studied acting in New York City in the early 1940’s and signed on to her first film, Gaslight in 1944, followed by The Picture of Dorian Gray in 1945. She became a dual US/UK citizen in 1951 following her marriage to Peter Shaw in 1949. She found some other minor roles in eleven additional films, including A Life at Stake, The Court Jester, and The Long Hot Summer.
Her film career took a bit of a hiatus in 1952 when her contract with MGM ended. In 1966 she took on the role of Mame Dennis in the musical Mame. To this day, Mame has a very loyal following. When we met Lansbury later when she came out of the cast entrance, many people were dancing and singing her iconic moves from Mame. She’s also very famous for her role in Sweeny Todd in 1979, where she played Nellie Lovett.
Her largest claim to fame in the United States is, of course, Murder, She Wrote. The show ran from 1984 to 1996. Angela Lansbury made the character of Jessica Fletcher her own. She insisted on maintaining her character as a single female, ensuring that she remained as a role model for older women viewers. Lansbury eschewed violence in her films and theater roles and insisted Murder, She Wrote followed suit. It remains today as a classic whodunnit style show without the violence, gore, and language that’s often associated with such shows. It is one of the most successful and longest running shows in history; Lansbury holds the record for the most Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress in a television series and the most Emmy nominations for outstanding lead actress in a drama series.
After Murder, She Wrote, she returned to the theater and to film, in Beauty and the Beast, Nanny McPhee, and Mr. Popper’s Penguins. She had the lead role in The Visit in 2001 and in Deuce in 2007, and obviously reprized her role as Madame Arcati in 2015.
Angela Lansbury has won five Tony Awards, was nominated for eighteen Emmy Awards, was nominated for three Academy Awards, and has been nominated for fifteen Golden Globe awards, winning six times. She’s won numerous side awards and recognitions including the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, the Kennedy Center Honors Awards, the Drama League Award, and the New Years Honours List from Queen Elizabeth the II where she was promoted to Dame.
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| Don and Donna reading up on Angela Lansbury |
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| Found their seats |
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| Eeeek! |
Janice and Martha and I didn’t select the best seats. In our defense, the website didn’t really accurately describe the size of the theater or how the seats were situated. We were seated all the way in the back in the middle, which we had selected over side seats closer to the front. Once everyone got settled in however, we could find people’s shoulders to peek between. The lighting was great and the cast moved around a lot, so you never felt like you couldn’t see what was going on.
We found our seats and Martha and I got a couple drinks. They had a small bar in the lobby serving Blithe Spirit themed drinks. In the picture below, mine is on the right and Martha’s is on the left. I got “The Blithe Spirit” and Martha got “Noel’s Concoction.” They were pretty good!
The play finally started. As I said, it was so wonderful to watch. Angela Lansbury was incredible, as was all the acting, and it was just so much fun to see her in person instead of on my tv screen. It was truly a fantastic experience. Janice and Martha and I were so glad we went. After the play ended, I meandered down to the front of the theater to get a closer glimpse of the set and how it was constructed. It was pretty cool.
After the play, like the good fans that we were, we waited outside the cast entrance/exit door. We got there a bit late, as there was already a pretty significant crowd forming. I found a lamp post, and basically climbed part way up it. Some of the other cast members came out first.
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| Charlotte Parry as Ruth Condomine |
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| Charles Edwards as Charles Condomine |
Finally, Angela Lansbury emerged! She was jovial and good natured. Everybody cheered when she came out. It was clear she had touched a lot of people’s hearts. One older woman said to her “I never go to sleep at night without watching an episode of Murder, She Wrote!” She did a dance from Mame, shook some hands and made her way into her car. I was able to sneak off my lamp post at one point; I said hello to her and told her I had come all the way from Alaska to see her. She was pleasantly surprised…”Oh did you really?!” was her response.
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| What a lady |
After the play finished touring, Lansbury won an Olivier Award in April. Blithe Spirit received numerous positive reviews and accolades. Lansbury is really quite amazing.