It was announced today that Madeleine Mantock will be making her West End debut as she steps into the role of Elvira in the West End production of Blithe Spirit playing at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 16 September for a limited 8-week run.
Madeline recently played Macy Vaughn in CBS studios series Charmed and Miss Clara in the BBC’s The Long Song. Other TV credits include; Casualty, The Tomorrow People, Age Before Beauty and Into the Badlands. Films include: Edge of Tomorrow with Tom Cruise, Breaking Brooklyn and The Truth Commissioner.
She will be starring in the witty comedy alongside British comedy institution, Jennifer Saunders, who will revive her role as the clairvoyant Madame Arcati. They will be joined by original cast members Geoffrey Streatfield (Spooks, The Thick of It, RSC’s Histories Cycle) as Charles Condomine, Lisa Dillon (BBC’s Cranford, RSC’s The Roaring Girl and The Taming of the Shrew, the Old Vic’s Design for Living) as Ruth Condomine, Simon Coates (1984, Richard III at the Almeida, King John at Shakespeare’s Globe) as Dr Bradman, Lucy Robinson (Handbagged at the Vaudeville Theatre, Coronation Street, Call The Midwife) as Mrs Bradman and Rose Wardlaw (The Winters Tale, Shakespeare’s Globe, Call The Midwife and Doctors) as Edith.
The cast of Blithe Spirit at the Duke of York’s Theatre (2020)
The production brings together a distinguished and multi-award-winning creative team, directed by former National Theatre director Sir Richard Eyre with design by Anthony Ward, lighting by Howard Harrison, sound by John Leonard and illusions by Paul Kieve. Sir Richard Eyre was at the helm of the National Theatre for 10 years and is the winner of five Olivier Awards including a Lifetime Achievement Award. His numerous hugely-acclaimed productions include Guys and Dolls, The Invention of Love and Private Lives. His award- winning film and television work includes Iris, Tumbledown and The Children Act.
Jennifer Saunders as Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit at the Duke of York’s Theatre (2020)
The hilarious Blithe Spirit was written in 1941 by English playwright Noël Coward to provide a distraction at the height of the World War II when it was staged for the first time. The gone-wrong, witty and meticulously engineered comedy tells the story of a couple haunted by a previous relationship – literally.
The show had a record-breaking run in the West End and on Broadway and remains one of the playwright’s most popular works.
Novelist Charles Condomine and his second wife Ruth are literally haunted by a past relationship when an eccentric medium inadvertently conjures up the ghost of his first wife, Elvira, at a séance. When she appears, visible only to Charles, and determined to sabotage his current marriage, life – and the afterlife – get complicated.
With an award-winning creative team bringing Blithe Spirit to life on stage in the West End, this production promises lots of laughs, sparks and spirit-lifting hijinks! Get your tickets to see this iconic show below.