Christine Ebersole to Star in 'Blithe Spirit' Revival

Variety is reporting that Christine Ebersole will be starring in the upcoming Broadway revival of Blithe Spirit. At the beginning of the month it was reported that Noel Coward's play Blithe Spirit will have life on Broadway this upcoming Spring season. The play will be produced by the same group behind August: Osage County and the upcoming Speed-The-Plow.

Variety states, "No further casting has been announced, although Angela Lansbury and Rupert Everett are said to be on the wish list."

The play will begin performances on February 26th at a Shubert Theater to be announced.

A two-time Tony-Award winner for Grey Gardens and 42nd Street, Christine Ebersole garners universal critical acclaim for her interpretation of beloved classics and standards.  The New York Times called her recent performance in the dual roles of Edith Bouvier Beale and "Little" Edie Beale as: "One of the most gorgeous performances ever to grace a musical."  In addition to stage, Christine Ebersole has delighted audiences with roles in films such as "Tootsie" and "Amadeus." Her television career includes cast roles in "Saturday Night Live" and "One Life to Live." 

Michael Blakemore is rumored to be directing the revival. In 2000 Blakemore became the only director receive a Tony for both Best Direction of a Musical and Best Direction of a Play in the same year for his work on Copenhagen and Kiss Me Kate.

Blithe Spirit is a comedy written in 1941 and tells the story of a socialite Charles Condomine who is haunted by his late wife Elvira's ghost after he takes part in seance. The play set box office records for a straight play on the West End that were not broken until 1970 with premiere of Boeing-Boeing

The Broadway premiere took place on November 5, 1941 at the Morosco Theatre directed by John C. Wilson and designed by Stewart Chaney. The play transferred to the Booth Theatre on May 18, 1942 and it ran for a total of 657 performances. It was revived at the Neil Simon Theatre on March 31, 1987 in a production directed by Brian Murray. In its most notable casting it featued Richard Chamberlain as Charles, Blythe Danner as Elvira, Judith Ivey as Ruth (Charles' new wife) and Geraldine Page, who received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress, as Madame Arcati. It ran for 104 performances.

Photo Credit Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.