Noel Coward’s ghost-mongering comedy of manners, “Blithe Spirit,” is the final offering at Acadia Repertory Theater this summer and is, by far, the most worthwhile and entertaining dramatic event of the season. Playing to a full house on its second night, the show proved that the combination of well-executed comedy and silly sorcery is a surefire success.

The story is about Charles Condomine, an irascible and charming writer who stages a seance so he can take notes for his newest story about a homicidal medium. His plot backfires when, in the midst of the seance, Elvira (his dead wife) is summoned back from the Other Side and becomes helplessly stuck in the here and now. Although she is only visible and audible to Charles, Elvira becomes a bit of a nuisance to Charles’ new wife Ruth, who is belligerently unwilling to live a life of “astral bigamy.”

The two women become cantankerously intolerant of each other, and Charles’ attempt to mediate between them only makes things worse. Madame Arcadi, the psychic through whom Elvira found her way back to the present, tries to intervene, but finds that her skills aren’t quite as sophisticated as she had hoped. In short, the situation becomes a marital nightmare of ribald rivalry, whimsical mischief and ectoplasmic intervention. The spirit of the play is blithe, filled with pawky humor and waggish cynicism about marriage and mediums. But the spirits in the play are rather endearingly pugnacious and vinegary.

This season at Acadia Rep has by no means been disappointing, but their production of Sir Noel’s 1940s ghost tale is an outstanding achievement of dramatic entertainment and can safely be called the theatrical highlight of the summer.

Although director Ken Stack has created a thoroughly pleasurable evening, there are a few distracting elements to the production. An obstructing bouquet of flowers stays on stage throughout the first scene, the seance is staged with Charles’ back to most of the audience, the makeup in the final scenes is horribly splotchy, and the end is a tad hokey. In spite of these minor hindrances, the show is a raving success.

Much credit belongs to John Erickson, whose reliable comic timing and controlled stage presence bring energy to the show. As Charles, he is distinguished, slimy, aloof and witty, and although he has the lead role, he nevers steals a moment from the rest of the ensemble.

The same cannot be said of Dee Pelletier who plays Ruth. This is Pelletier’s best performance of the season for sure, and she, too, brings a comic energy to the show, but her constant posturing and melodramtic reactions need some tempering because they become tedious by the end of the first scene.

Covered in pale white makeup and draped in a silver-lame gown, Laura Lewis makes a show-stopping entrance as the bewitching and diabolic Elvira. Costumer George Miller has certainly outdone himself in designing this dress for the dead. Except for one rather unflattering and cartoonish orange head band, Miller decorates these actors in stunning outfits.

Melissa Hughes-Smith offers a powerfully commanding and droll performance as the cosmically absurd Madame Arcadi. You know you are watching a great actress when Hughes-Smith is on stage, and the treat is rare and wonderful.

Supporting roles are also effectively played by Jenna Moskowitz, Mark Dean and Katherine Waters.

“Blithe Spirit” is a crowning end to Acadia Rep’s 18th season, and theatergoers are sure to be delightfully entertained by this evening of ghostly humor.

“Blithe Spirit” will be performed at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, Aug. 10-19, and 2 p.m. Aug. 19 at Acadia Repertory Theater in Somesville. For tickets, call 244-7260.