Blithe Spirit
at Irvine

Reviewed on November 22, 2019

Caitlin Laranjo
Santa Margarita Catholic
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies

Irvine High School's ‘Blithe Spirit' is Hauntingly Hilarious
written by Caitlin Laranjo, a junior at Santa Margarita Catholic High School

The house is dark as a solitary blue beam of light illuminates the ghostly woman entering from another dimension, smoke billowing around her feet and clouding her figure. Striding into the 1940's home with feminine grace, the apparition locks her eyes on the target of her haunting…her husband.

In Noel Coward's ghostly comedy, Charles' first wife, Elvira, comes back seven years after her death to haunt him and his second wife, Ruth. Elvira's plot to kill Charles to be with him forever accidentally kills Ruth instead. With Elvira angry that Charles remarried, and Ruth furious that he still loved his first wife, both ghostly wives haunt their husband. Irvine High School successfully tells the ghost story with fluent line delivery, historically accurate costumes, and spooky effects.

Charles (Aiden Payne) is the perfect model of a two-timing husband. His nonchalant tone when caught in his wives' argument believably fuels the dispute. Over the course of the play, his attitude shifts to frustration as he raises his voice and sarcastically snaps at his ghost wives.

The personalities of Elvira (Sara Moinuddin) and Ruth (Lexi Barber) are excellently juxtaposed in their tone and physicality. While Barber's Ruth is uptight in her stiff walk and accusing tone towards Charles, Moinuddin's Elvira saunters about with feminine flirtatiousness and a teasing tone towards her husband that gradually turns spiteful.

Costume design by Taylor Nguyen, Najma Sufi, and Alicia Kuehn enhances the contrast between Ruth and Elvira, and between the living and the dead. Elvira's white gown is ethereal and seductive with its flowy shape and deep V-neck, whereas Ruth's multiple outfits are more structured and conservative. Ruth's ghost costume, an exact grayscale version of the blue coat she wore at the time of her death, shows great creativity and attention to detail. Additionally, all costumes are appropriate the 1940's.

The lighting by Eileen Chung and sound by Jia-Wei Dang establishes the mood of each scene and immerses the audience in the story. The lights dim and a ghoulish blue light is used each time Elvira or ghost Ruth enter the room. The same song played by the record player each time a ghost is summoned shows consistency and ties different scenes together, while the shattering pot is an immersive detail.

Masterfully entwining the comedic and ghostly mood, Irvine High School's production of ‘Blithe Spirit' is equally suspenseful and silly.

Andrew Green
Tesoro
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook

Irvine High School's "Blithe Spirit" is funny and memorable
written by Andrew Green, a senior at Tesoro High School

Needing material for a new book, novelist Charles Condomine (Aiden Payne) calls on the services of whom he believes to be a fraudulent psychic. When the medium manages to actually conjure up the undead - in the form of Mr. Condomine's ex-wife no less - hilarity ensues in Irvine High School's production of "Blithe Spirit."

Animated yet focused, Sofia Chambers portrays Madame Arcati, an eccentric psychic with legitimate connections to the supernatural. Chambers shows a clear knack for playing larger-than-life characters, boldly sliding across the entire stage, and wistfully flailing her arms around during the preparatory stages of a seance.

Commanding the stage, Sara Moinuddin plays Elvira, Charles's former spouse, who comes back to the couple's former home as a ghost, only to see that Charles has remarried. Even while invisible to most of the characters, Moinuddin's Elvira makes her presence known, relaying expertly timed wisecracks through Mr. Condomine, who serves as her liaison to the living. Pushing around furnishings and maintaining a posture of entitlement by standing slouched over with her arms crossed, she lets no one forget that she was the original woman of the household.

The set design of Dylan Fox, Ash Kandala, Audrey Phung, and Manni Chen evokes a clear image of upper-middle class living in 1940s England. Period appropriate furnishings populate the stage, and the decor is not limited to only what the actors must interact with, giving the illusion that the set is not a set, but an actual look into a family home.

Setting the plot in motion, the sound design of Jia-Wei Dang and Geandra Menjivar is most notable for its attention to detail. The warm crackling of a vinyl record that plays during a seance, and the echoing effect put on the voice of the ghost of Elvira at certain key moments are immersive and compelling.

Managing these sound cues, among others, is the stage management team (Sanaz Homayounieh, Valery Evans, and Izzy Barbosa). Throughout the whole show, the team executes cues in perfect timing with the actors onstage, which is noteworthy in a show that makes abundant use of sounds, lights, and even a fog machine.

With a comedic cast and a creative crew, Irvine High School's production of "Blithe Spirit" is vibrant, light-hearted, and endearing.

Allie Bierman
Tesoro
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook

Irvine High School's "Blithe Spirit" is a ghostly comedy
written by Allie Bierman, a junior at Tesoro High School

Enjoyable and comical, Irvine High School's production of "Blithe Spirit" deals with the supernatural in a humorous way when a psychic summons something much more than the dinner party attendees bargained for.

The humorous tensions between real and imaginary is personified in Madame Arcati (Sofia Chambers) with her high energy and free-spirited movement in efforts to reach a spiritual plane, but only connecting with a child ghost. As she goes into her trances, her limp body falls to the floor and voice fades to nothing from its ordinarily high pitched and boisterous manner. Chambers has great projection and uses various levels when she dances across the stage during the seance.

Running across stage with heavy feet, Sophia Kersh embodies the character of the unconventional maid, Edith. With quick movements and immediate obedience, Kersh makes the character appear somewhat flustered with her job, almost as if it is a new job. As she is under a trance, her eyes go blank and Kersh quietly sings, conveying she is not mentally conscious.

Throughout the show, the actors create remarkable relationships between these three characters, showing the audience the lasting effects of a widower's life following his wife's death. The worldly character, Charles (Aiden Payne) and self-centred Elvira (Sara Moinuddin) both seem shadowed by longings for a somewhat rose-tinted, unattainable past as they sit together on the couch, reflecting on their marriage. Arguing with Charles and banging her fist on the table, the brittle Ruth (Lexi Barber) battles in vain against that invisible foe - a lover's past love.

The set, designed by Dylan Fox was elaborate with two sets of french doors placed on two different parts of the set, having the ability to open and close on their own as well. They used an array of hollywood and broadway flats with muslin fabric as the facing, making it easier to paint and lighter in weight. The color scheme includes soft blues and whites to allude to a ghost-like persona, however the dark wood furniture contrast the soft blue in order to add depth and variation.

Enjoyable and comical, Irvine High School's "Blithe Spirit" is a humorous ode to the lasting effects of the death of one whom you love dearly, sometimes enough to always keep in the back of your mind.