The original cast recordings for the US and UK castings are as follows: The quality of some of the sample tracks is poor despite some renovation. It remains a well-performed work in its own right as well as gives us a stronger sense of the composer’s initial intentions. It contains some songs that never made it to the final musical and somewhere the titles were changed. A copy of the recording was found at Noël's London Office when it was closed in 2000.
The composers produced an LP recording of all the songs they had written in which it appears they sang and accompanied themselves or employed either one or more performers for the recording. The Season, Would You Let Me, I've Never Had a Manifestation, An English Summer Day, Nothing Ever Happens in London. Songs composed by Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray but not included in the final production: He quickly decides to escape the premises, but his escape ultimately fails. Although she initially appears to be successful, it soon becomes obvious one or both spirits have remained in the house, and the plot to bring Charles into the spirit world continues. Madame Arcati is contacted to rid his household of both spirits. But the spirit miscalculates and ends up dispatching Ruth instead, after which the author is haunted by both his deceased wives. Eventually, the author’s fascination wanes – especially when he learns Elvira has been plotting his early demise. Complications ensue when Ruth becomes aware of the presence of the ghost. The author, who is the only person capable of seeing Elvira, becomes both dismayed and amused by her sudden and unexpected presence. Amazingly, Madame Arcati accidentally summoned the spirit of Charles' first wife Elvira during the séance. Upon its conclusion, Arcati obviously is concerned about an unexpected turn the session has taken, although the author and his guests are dubious anything extraordinary occurred. As Charles, his bride Ruth, and their guests the Bradmans restrain their laughter, Madame Arcati performs peculiar rituals and speaks with a propensity for clichés. Seeking material for his exposé about psychics, novelist Charles Condomine invites eccentric medium Madame Arcati to his home to conduct a séance. The musical broadly follows the plot of Blithe Spirit but develops the role of the eccentric medium Madame Arcati: The musical compositions were widely applauded. It had relatively short runs in both the US and the UK. The musical was directed by Timothy Gray and Graham Payn in London's West End where it ran for 93 performances.Īlthough it played well and certainly impressed the critics, it was heavily dependent on the comic abilities of the player in the enlarged role of Madame Arcati. Coward's dream cast failed to materialize, but he continued with the project. I am not only relieved but delighted."Ĭoward agreed to direct it, hoping to cast Keith Michell as Charles, Gwen Verdon as Elvira, Celeste Holm as Ruth, and Kay Thompson as Madame Arcati, with Danny Daniels as choreographer. The music is melodic and delightful, the lyrics really witty and they have done a complete book outline keeping to my original play and yet making it effective as a musical. all set to turn it down because it had really has been going on far too long and I was sick of all the frigging about. The show then moved to the Colonial Theatre, Boston and the Shubert Theatre, Philadelphia before reaching New York's Alvin Theatre on 4 April 1964 where it had 375 performances.Īfter a long period of gestation, the composers visited Noël in New York to present and play their work. The musical was first presented in the Shubert Theatre, New Haven on 1 February 1964. Originally entitled Faster Than Sound Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray wrote and composed this musical version of Noël Coward's most popular play, Blithe Spirit in 1963.
0 kommentar(er)
