Christian Cieri – Illustrator
Not long ago it was quite a stretch to conceive of two men married to one another and living together in suburbia; it is another matter entirely to imagine that happening in the 1940s. For their final show of the season, The Opposite of People (TOOP) staged a production of Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit.” The show investigates the impact that a deceased spouse can have on the current relationship of the one left alive, to comedic effect.
“Blithe Spirit” tells the story of Charles Condomine and his husband Richard, who invite a medium named Madame Arcati to a dinner party in order to perform a seance. After a violent trance, the night ends in disappointment because Mme. Arcati is not able to accomplish much–that is, until Charles sees the ghost of his dead husband Oliver. It turns out that Oliver is intent on staying for a while. To make matters worse, only Charles can see him, and thus hilarity ensues as Charles tries to deal with two unhappy husbands.
Now, Noel Coward originally wrote Blithe Spirit about a man and two women, but the dircector, sophomore Murie Gillett, decided on a whim to have two men read for the parts of the wives. With that, the show became not only a comedy, but also a commentary on same-sex relationships, by normalizing their appearance. And Gillett lost none of the humor in that process; indeed, she added a few laughs when characters were unclear about which husband they were referring to.
The dynamic that sophomore Jordan Polcyn-Evans’ Charles, had with senior Shane Saxton’s Richard was not only enjoyable, but also believable. Without hesitation, the two of them portrayed a same-sex marriage like any other relationship out there. The addition of junior Steven Winkelman as the roguish Oliver shifted the dynamic, but in so doing portrayed a different kind, but still valid, same-sex relationship.
However, it has to be said that Emma Guilfoyle, a junior, stole the show with her performance of Mme. Arcati. Through her physicality and vocalizations, not to mention her costume, Guilfoyle kept the laughs coming with every line. Sophomore Charlie Norvell and senior Evelyn Hernandez, appearing as the Condomines’ friends, the Bradmans, played off one another as a foil to Charles and Richard’s relationship.
When Mrs. Bradman snapped at her husband, it became clear that Charles and Richard could very well end up like them. Lastly, junior Kat McCorkle as the maid Edith found the perfect timing in every one of her actions.
In a day when same-sex marriage is legalized in 36 states, the District of Columbia, and more than 20 tribes, we can begin to imagine a day when LGBT people no longer face discrimination. TOOP has joined in that conversation with Blithe Spirit, not only by gender-bending the roles, but, more importantly, by portraying them credibly. The audience is able to laugh at the chaos that envelops the Condomine household because it is a house like any other.
Libbey is a member of the class of 2016.
