Blithe Spirit, during World War II, London suffered heavy bombing by the German air force, leaving parts of the city in rubble and dust, including Coward’s own apartment. Charles lives in Kent, in the early 20th century United Kingdom, along with his second wife Ruth and their maid Edith. Charles unwittingly opens up a can of worms while trying to collect material on the Blithe Spirit Study Guide Carole Healey (left) as Ruth, Arthur Hanket as Charles, and Stephanie Erb as Elvira in the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2004 production of Blithe Spirit. “Blithe Spirit” is a play by British playwright Noel Coward, first performed in the West End in 1941 where it ran for a record 1,997 performances before moving on to Broadway later that year. 6 Blithe Spirit: A Brief Synopsis Blithe Spirit: An Improbable Farce Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward centers on the unintentional haunting of novelist Charles Condomine. It centers around socialite and novelist Charles Condomine, who invites clairvoyant Madame Arcati … Information on the Play Responding to this, Coward retreated with a friend to Port Meirion in Wales to write.