Theater production lacks true ‘Spirit’ Penobscot company falls flat at comedy

London theatergoers braved bombs and walked through rubble to see Noel Coward’s comedy “Blithe Spirit” when it opened in 1942. The British playwright wrote it in a six-day marathon the previous year as a distraction and amusement for audiences during his nation’s most trying times.

Bangor-area theater lovers are nearly as desperate for comic relief from a seemingly relentless winter blitz. They won’t find it at Penobscot Theatre Company’s production of Coward’s classic three-act play.

PTC opened its new season Friday night with “Blithe Spirit.” Under the direction of Mark Torres, ghosts appeared onstage at the Bangor Opera House but they were neither blithe nor merry nor funny. The talented and experienced cast stomped on Coward’s crisp dialogue while theatergoers sat in silence when they should have been roaring with laughter. This production so dulled the play’s razor-edged, witty double-entendres that some audience members did not return for the final act.

“Blithe Spirit” tells the story of writer Charles Condomine, who, while researching a book, participates in a seance and conjures up the ghost of Elvira, his first wife, much to the chagrin of Ruth, his second. Like Coward’s other great domestic comedy, “Private Lives,” “Blithe Spirit” really is about the battle between the sexes.

The playwright is a master at taking a small, seemingly unimportant domestic event and transforming it into a huge, make-or-break event in a marriage. In both plays, he also creates a roiling sexual undercurrent that fuels his lead characters.

That tension was markedly absent from PTC’s production on opening night. The actors cast in the three leads are competent professionals but there was no hint of even a teensy spark of passion among them. That makes it impossible for the audience to glimpse what compelled Charles to propose to either of his wives.

As the haunted author, Mark S. Cartier works hard at igniting an ember with his co-stars. Cartier proved his ability to portray deep, sensual love in “Talley’s Folly” at the Theatre at Monmouth. His adeptness at comedy was evident last season when he played Felix Unger in PTC’s “The Odd Couple.” The actor understands and attempts to ride Coward’s rhythms, but Charles often plays straight man to his wives and the actresses who portray them never hit the same note Cartier plays, so many of Coward’s best jokes fall flat.

Mary Proctor portrays Elvira with a coy cattiness that belies the character’s depth and sense of fun. Proctor looks marvelous in her ghostly white makeup as she drapes herself across furniture and wafts across thresholds. While her Elvira appears to be slightly sultry, Proctor never brings to the surface the character’s smoldering and possessive sexuality that drives her every move. She also tends to act rather than react to Cartier’s Charles, a deathblow to the intimacy Coward wrote into the dialogue.

Undoubtedly, Ruth is the play’s most difficult role. Kae Cooney is just too whiny and shrill to garner any sympathy from the audience. By the start of the third act, theatergoers were scratching their heads, wondering why Charles doesn’t do himself in just to get away from her. In other roles, Cooney has proven herself to be a competent actress, but she never shows the audience why Charles married Ruth or why he’s so torn between his live wife and the dead one.

Cushing Pagon Samp is Madame Arcati, the medium who conjures up Elvira’s ghost. Physically, Samp is perfect for the part with her wild orange hair. But, she works so hard at modulating her voice that she loses the meaning and she never finds Coward’s vocal rhythms.

In small roles, Sofia Patience Wilder sparkles as Mrs. Bradman, Mike Worboys guffaws adequately as Dr. Bradman and Tina Cote gets the biggest laughs as the shaking, sprinting maid Edith.

Technically, “Blithe Spirit” is delightful. Nicole Coppinger’s set, Lynne Chase’s lighting design and Sandra London’s costumes succeed where the cast fails.

“Blithe Spirit” will continue through March 16. For information, call 942-3333.