NOEL Coward would have been proud of Halse Players’ first foray into classic comedy in Blithe Spirit, tackling his technically-difficult play with relish.

Charles Condomine (Alan Byrne) bickered with his stoic second wife, Ruth (Katy Davies), haunted by the presence of Elvira, the first Mrs Condomine, long before her silvery ghost was accidentally called up in an ill-judged séance.

Doctor Bradman, (David Porter), and his wife, (Maggie Cooksley), joined the séance. Mrs Bradman was intrigued. The doctor’s rolling eyes made it quite clear what he thought of this mumbo jumbo, even as the table rocked and collapsed.

Once summoned, a shimmering Elvira, (Jay Brooksbank), floated effortlessly across the stage, and, equally effortlessly, destroyed both of Charles’s marriages, his current wife, and ultimately his home.

The hapless psychic, Madame Arcati, (Ann Hoole), was a triumph of performance and wardrobe, her warm-up routines and clothes becoming ever more bizarre as she tried, with increasing desperation, to banish both Elvira and Ruth from the land of the living. The key to the problem was the unwitting Edith, the maid, (Lucy Turner), a natural psychic, who fell instantly into a trance, with an unnerving, unblinking stare.

Throughout the performance, the cast was ably supported by the backstage crew. Sets were quickly and effortlessly prepared. Psychic knockings made the audience jump. Doorbells, telephones and music were on cue. Props were on hand to float across the room and intimidate the living, while a psychic blizzard brought the show to a close.

MARY HAYWARD