Southern Theatre to present Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit

(From Southern News Service)

Southern Theatre will present its first show of the year, Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit,” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, through Saturday, Sept. 17, in the Bud Walton Theatre at Missouri Southern State University.

The show follows novelist Charles Condomine, who invites the eccentric local medium, Madame Arcati, to conduct a séance at his home while he researches for a book on the occult. Little suspecting her actual abilities, Charles suddenly finds himself haunted by the ghost of his first wife, Elvira, much to the displeasure of his second wife, Ruth.

Coward wrote “Blithe Spirit” at lightning speed and when he finished, he was sure that the play would succeed. He was not disappointed. Following the play’s initial production in 1941, the reviewer for The Manchester Guardian described the play as, "an odd mixture and not untouched by genius of a sort.” Since then, the play has remained a favorite among Coward’s works.

Directed by Dr. Jim Lile, the production is Southern Theatre’s contribution to the MSSU Great Britain semester.

Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and non-MSSU students, and free for MSSU students, faculty and staff. The Southern Theatre box office is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For requests for accommodations related to a disability, contact Terri Spencer at 417-625-9393 at least 72 hours before the performance.

MISSOURI

Joplin
Sydney Holtsman – senior mass communication major

Webb City
Samantha Green – junior mass communication major

Neosho
Forrest Bunter – senior vocal performance music major

KANSAS

Newton
Valerie Stockton – senior theater major

OlatheChelsea Skaggs – senior theater major

Wichita
Michael Udarbe – senior general studies major

NEW MEXICO

Glorieta
Kristin Younts – senior theater major