We sat down with director Allison Narver to talk about all things Blithe Spirit, playwright Noël Coward, and the legacy of producing comedies during challenging times. 

^{Director Allison Narver}

Seattle Rep: One of your past standout productions directed at Seattle Rep was Marc Camoletti’s Boeing Boeing (2013), also an uproarious and smart comedy. As a director, what draws you to working with comedic stories? 

Allison Narver: The fun thing about directing comedy is that there are rules to follow and rules to break. Comedy depends on rhythm, meter, precision, and pace—particularly with Noël Coward. His language requires both discipline and accuracy and is so fast that the actors can feel like they’re playing a game of ping pong with their scene partners. Their reflexes need to be quick and they must always keep their eyes on the ball. 

The rules you get to break are equally fun and can feel like taking a dare. Is it ludicrous enough to be funny, or is it just dumb? Should we go further, or should we pull back? Something that might make us laugh in rehearsal won’t necessarily work on stage. It’s a game of risk, which can feel scary but also thrilling. 

There’s a long history of comedies being produced during dark times—and to put it mildly, we’re living through a really difficult one right now. But being able to laugh and find joy anyway can be a powerful force of resistance in the face of it all. 

^{Arlando Smith and Nate Tenenbaum in rehearsal for Blithe Spirit. Photo by Sayed Alamy}

SR: Blithe Spirit has been called “one of Coward's indisputable comic masterpieces” (The Daily Telegraph). How do you see this play speaking to audiences today? Why this play, now? 

AN: Brilliant writing is always relevant, but I think this will resonate with contemporary audiences because one of the themes of Blithe Spirit is trying to keep up appearances in the face of disruptive forces. 

Noël Coward has created a world with a polished, elegant veneer populated by hyper-articulate people. Their glittering and exorbitant speech creates a shield that allows his characters to avoid the messy complications of their inner lives and their deepest feelings—not even death derails this façade! Occasionally, this veneer is pulled aside and briefly exposed by great bursts of passion, jealousy, anger, and spite. When these outbursts erupt, they are quickly and neatly tucked away so that the characters can revert to the exquisitely maintained façades that have served them well for so many years. 

Similarly, in the version of ourselves we curate for our followers online, the façade we present to the world is often shiny, beautiful, and exciting, but doesn’t necessarily represent the complications of our lives or our truest feelings. What is the truth about how we present our lives to the world at large? What do we show, and what do we hide?

^{Gin Hammond and Kirsten Potter in rehearsal for Blithe Spirit. Photo by Sayed Alamy}

SR: What do you hope audiences take away from the show? 

AN: I hope that Seattle Rep audiences walk away remembering that life can still be fun; discovering the joy in Noël Coward’s language; and entering a world that seems familiar, but is not, can be a delight.    

SR: Anything else you want audiences to know? 

AN: Working with these gifted designers and actors has been a joy. I think the design is breathtaking—it has been such a pleasure to watch them create a beautiful world that metamorphizes by the end of the play. The entire Seattle Rep company has put both muscle and heart into the production, and I’m very grateful for their extraordinary work.

See Blithe Spirit on stage at Seattle Rep from November 29–December 22, 2024.

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