Photo Flash: BLITHE SPIRIT Plays the First Folio Theatre

First Folio's Season of Suspense continues with Noël Coward's comedy of the supernatural, Blithe Spirit. Charles Condomine's life takes an unexpected twist when the eccentric medium Madame Arcati unwittingly conjures up the ghost of his first wife Elvira.

Caught between the spirit of his dead spouse and the disbelief of his current one, Charles struggles to maintain his marriage and his sanity. Directed by Alison C. Vesely and featuring artistic associates Nick Sandys and Melanie Keller, this promises to be another in a string of comedic Coward hits for First Folio that include Private Lives andDesign for Living.

Tickets are available online at www.firstfolio.org or by calling the box office at 630-986-8067.

Noël Coward was the ultimate British raconteur of the 20th Century, the perfect successor to Oscar Wilde as the arbiter and exemplar of taste, style and wit. In addition to being one of the greatest playwrights of the century, he was also renowned as an actor, composer, and lyricist, writing the songs for many of his productions. For over half a century, Coward's classic bon mots have been quoted by writers and politicians in need of a clever response: "It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.

"Leading the cast in the role of Charles Condomine will be Nick Sandys, who returns to the Chicago stage following a tour of The Thirty-Nine Steps. His past two Chicago area appearances included Malvolio in First Folio's production of Twelfth Night and Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses at Remy Bumppo, both roles earning him Jeff Nominations. Taking on the role of the flamboyant medium Madame Arcati is Chicago theater luminary Paula Scrofano. Paula, a 16-time Jeff Nominee, was most recently seen in Northlight Theater's production of A Civil War Christmas.

Rounding out the lead roles are First Folio favorites Melanie Keller as Charles's first wife, and current ghost, Elvira and Erin Noel Grennan as his befuddled second wife, Ruth. All performances take place in Mayslake Hall, a 30-room Tudor Revival style mansion originally built by coAl Baron Francis S. Peabody. Completed in 1922, the mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places. Mayslake Hall is located on the grounds of the Mayslake Peabody Estate, which is owned and operated by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.

Located at 31st St. and Rt. 83 in Oak Brook, First Folio is easy to get to from either the East-West Tollway (I-88) or the Stevenson Expressway (I-55).

Free parking is available on the grounds. First Folio Theatre is supported in part by grants from the Illinois Arts Council, a State Agency, and the DuPage Community Foundation.

Photo Credit: D. Rice

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