A COMIC play by Noël Coward will be performed in Bridport later this month.

Final preparations are beings made before Encore Theatre Club present their latest production, Blithe Spirit, at Bridport Arts Centre.

Blithe Spirit is a highly popular comic play that has been revived many times since its record breaking opening run in the West End.

The play was first performed back in 1941, with a Broadway transfer production following hard on its heels. The play's most recent outing saw Angela Lansbury performing in the West End last year - demonstrating the ongoing appeal of the play Noël Coward described as an 'improbably farce'.

The smash comedy hit revolves around socialite and novelist Charles Condomine, who invites the eccentric medium and clairvoyant, Madame Arcati, to his house to conduct a séance, with the aim of gathering material for his next book. His plans backfire when he is haunted by the ghost of his annoying and temperamental first wife, Elvira, after the séance. Elvira makes continual attempts to disrupt Charles's marriage to his second wife, Ruth, who cannot see or hear the ghost.

Miles Bell, the assistant producer of the Encore Theatre Club production, said; “Following last year’s highly successful production of Oh! What a Lovely War at the Arts Centre, we decided to do something totally different and far lighter in tone.

"Blithe Spirit fitted the bill perfectly and was a play that Encore had been interested in performing for some time.”

Jacqui Wood is directing her first play for Encore, after a working on a number of productions in London, and is excited about the opportunities both Blithe Spirit, and Encore, offer.

Jacqui said; “Blithe Spirit is a wonderful play, and the case and crew of Encore have been really enjoying the rehearsals so far. Everyone is looking forward to bringing such a classic, and very funny, show to the Bridport stage – and I’d urge people to get their tickets early.”

Performances will run from Tuesday, November 24 to Saturday, November 28 at Bridport Arts Centre. For more information, please call 01308 424204, or visit bridport-arts.com