But of course that's the trick: It's hilarious. And the more we feel the shivers, the more hilarious it is. That balance is a lot harder to pull off than it looks. And Columbus not only does it, but does it at lightning speed: Coward's three acts are trimly presented with just one intermission, and the whole thing clocks in at about 2:15.
The speed makes this "Blithe Spirit" feel very light on its feet, and that's as it should be. The charming banter of Charles and Ruth Condomine quickly segues into the goofy dinner-party-with-séance with Madame Arcati. Then we barely have time to savor the scene-stealing performance of Cynthia Strickland as Mrs. Bradman, the dinner guest whose girlish eagerness to see a ghost is matched only by her ironclad control of her husband, before Phyllis Kay flits in to steal a few scenes of her own, as the enchantingly acid-tongued ghost of Charles's first wife, Elvira.
Actually, neither one of them can completely steal a scene, because they're surrounded onstage by a uniformly expert pack of thieves. Angela Brazil's brittle chirpiness as Ruth Condomine dissolves irresistibly into fury and hysteria as her ghostly rival muscles in, while Fred Sullivan Jr. makes Charles a wonderfully absurd package of pomposity and fluttering disbelief. William Damkoehler's Dr. Bradman is quiet, fussy, and prim - just right; Brown/Trinity Rep Consortium student Anna Van Valin plays the hysterical maid, Edith, with a charming mix of goofiness and sangfroid.
And then there's Madame Arcati. Barbara Meek swoops in, all sparkly beads and fringe, and has a field day with the histrionics of this larger-than-life character. It's hard not to have fun with Madame Arcati, but Meek is particularly delightful as she sniffs the air for the scent of "protoplasm," conducts a ridiculous little stomping dance of exorcism, or very un-ethereally snags a whole tray of egg-salad sandwiches for herself.
