{"id":16467,"date":"2018-09-28T09:51:33","date_gmt":"2018-09-28T16:51:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=16467"},"modified":"2018-10-05T10:07:02","modified_gmt":"2018-10-05T17:07:02","slug":"langham-court-delivers-spirited-season-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2018\/09\/28\/langham-court-delivers-spirited-season-opener\/","title":{"rendered":"Langham Court delivers spirited season opener"},"content":{"rendered":"

Believe it or not, Victoria\u2019s Langham Court Theatre has just celebrated the opening of its 90th season. And what better way to kick off the year than with a tried and tested favourite? In this case, it\u2019s Blithe Spirit <\/em>by No\u00ebl Coward (it\u2019s so much a favourite that this is the company\u2019s fifth rendition of the play).<\/p>\n

Given that it\u2019s such a well-crafted piece of work, it\u2019s easy to see why Langham keeps coming back to this classic. The writing is strong, the story is spooky, witty, and hilarious\u2014to the point that even I, the confirmed feminist, will forgive the slightly sexist ending. But really, if the only negative thing I can say about a play (written in the 1940s, I might add) is that it\u2019s a little dated, I can\u2019t really complain.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Blithe Spirit<\/em> is on at Langham Court Theatre until October 13 (photo provided).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And, honestly, despite the dated ending, it was a joy to watch. The set was a visual smorgasbord of colour and style; the costumes were stunning and elaborate; the special effects (yes, you read that right) were breathtaking.<\/p>\n

Also, the acting was solid across the board. For such a hearty show, it has a modest cast size, meaning there\u2019s a lot of heavy lifting from its principal actors, something lead Alan Penty handled brilliantly. He was engaging and electrifying as Charles, giving charm and warmth to a potentially unlikeable character.<\/p>\n

Penty\u2019s counter-balances Kate McCallum Pagett and Jackie Rioux both delivered solid performances, and Elizabeth Whitmarsh had me in stitches as the eccentric Madame Arcati\u2014particularly in a few instances of technical prop difficulty, which she improvised her way through like a champ.<\/p>\n

A word of caution: the show is marketed for all ages, but there were a few moments that made me jump in my seat, and the late start time meant that it didn\u2019t end until about 10:30.<\/p>\n

Blithe Spirit\u00a0<\/em>is a perfect, spooky way to start the fall, a triumph for Langham, and a delight to watch.<\/p>\n

Blithe Spirit
\n<\/em>Various times, until Saturday, October 13
\n$23 to $25 (student discount available),\u00a0Langham Court Theatre
\nlanghamtheatre.ca<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Believe it or not, Victoria\u2019s Langham Court Theatre has just celebrated the opening of its 90th season. And what better way to kick off the year than with a tried and tested favourite? In this case, it\u2019s Blithe Spirit by No\u00ebl Coward (it\u2019s so much a favourite that this is the company\u2019s fifth rendition of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-webexclusive"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t