Blithe Spirit

Brandon and I had the great opportunity to see the legendary actress Angela Lansbury perform live on stage in the Noel Coward comedy Blithe Spirit. Aside from the fact that a fever struck me right as we were walking into the Shubert Theater, it was an amazing experience. Seeing the 83-year-old actress, Academy award and four-time Tony award winner, was almost surreal. I have been a fan of Lansbury's work since I was a kid watching her in the Disney movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Her performance on stage was so endearing. The rest of the audience obviously loved her as much as I do as she was met with lengthy applause every time she entered and exited a scene. Her age was evidenced in that she sat through a great deal of her scenes and stuttered through a few lines, but that in no way took away from her stage presence nor her commitment and believability in the character of the dotty clairvoyant Madame Arcati. She was and continues to be a sensational actress.

The rest of the cast was superb also! Rupert Everett gave a fantastic performance in his Broadway debut as the lead role of Charles Condomine. Two-time Tony winner Christine Ebersole was wonderfully deviant as the ghost of his first wife Elvira. Surprise delights came from Tony nominee Jayne Atkinson as Ruth Condomine (Charles' second wife) and Susan Louise O'Connor who made her Broadway debut as the Condomines' skiddish maid Edith.

I'm so happy and grateful that Brandon and I were able to attend this performance. This makes the third Broadway show I've seen since moving to New York nine months ago. Just one more reason why I'm so happy to be living in this fantastic city. I'll be loving you always...