The light plot does give us some appropriately eerie atmospherics, particularly in a green gel over the séance and through the spookily backlit French doors that are so wont to swoon open. So are the disruptive whims of the poltergeists bracingly and convincingly staged. And as the woman who facilitates these transformations of the country home, Davenport’s black- and gold-garbed Madame Arcati is a lot of fun. She sways amusingly between dramatic and down-to-earth, has wonderfully expressive eyes, and is a strong presence whenever she’s on stage.
As the tumult of Madame Arcati’s unleashed spirit world turns ever more farcical, it also brings on a gleefully black-comic vision. Mad Dogs’ production gains momentum as it relishes this blithe degeneration of the human spirit, and any sympathies we might have had with anyone in the household are finally spirited, wickedly, away.
Blithe Spirit | by Noel Coward | Directed by Tim Robinson | Produced by Mad Dogs and Englishmen with Thorpe Feidt | Players’ Ring in Portsmouth | Through February 25 | 603.436.8123
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Megan Grumbling: mgrumbling@hotmail.com
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