Radio review: Blithe Spirit

One of the first shows in my diary to get cancelled because of lockdown was the latest revival of Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit, but as with so many things the BBC comes to the rescue, with a 2008 radio adaptation by Bert Coules returning to the BBC Sounds app. Roger Allam plays Charles, the novelist who hires a local medium in order to copy her language and mannerisms for a fraud in his upcoming book; but Madame Arcati turns out to be the real thing, and after playing her favourite song in the room where she died, his first wife Elvira's (Zoë Waites) ghost materialises. Unfortunately for Charles, only he can see her, which causes much confusion with his second wife Ruth (Hermione Gulliford,) and soon a rivalry causes chaos in the house between the two wives, one of whom is dead, and possibly turning homicidal.

Adapting the play for radio has come with an edit that brings the running time down to ninety minutes and helps make Coward's snappy dialogue all the snappier, with Allam's trademark languid tones with an underlying irritation a perfect match for the dapper but increasingly hassled protagonist. Radio, of course, beats even theatre in terms of having an unlimited visual effects budget because of the audience's imagination doing all the work, and it enables Philip Franks' production to expand slightly from the fairly strict style Coward adhered to - there's a nice sense of movement of the characters all over the house and garden.

It's interesting how this affects how Madame Arcati is played, long a plum role for well-known actresses keen to dial up the eccentricity and steal the show: Without the benefit of wacky costumes and props, Maggie Steed plays her as no-nonsense and comparatively sensible - after all, she isn't a fraud (something she's called even by an actual ghost she's caused to materialise) but someone just getting on with her job, and Steed shows what Arcati was likely originally meant to be, the supposed crazy person who's actually the most down-to-earth in the middle of the histrionics. She still gets a lot of good gags though; Blithe Spirit is never off the West End stage for too long so no doubt will soon return like a jealous dead wife after lockdown ends, but this is a fun take on it to lighten up an afternoon in the meantime.

Also Natalie Cassidy plays the maid, Edith, which possibly explains why Arcati threatens to ectoplasmically materialise a trumpet.

Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward is available until the 24th of May on the BBC Radio 4 Extra website and BBC Sounds app.

Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes.