LAUGHS aplenty are promised when Colwall Players present Noel Coward's escapist comedy Blithe Spirit.

After three months of rehearsals, director Andy Howie is putting the finishing touches to the production, which runs from Thursday to Saturday, October 27 to 29, at Colwall Village Hall.

The classic 1941 play was the longest running comedy in British Theatre for three decades and is renowned for its excellent dialogue and comic scenes.

More than 20 people, including a cast of seven, are involved with the play, which tells the farcical story of socialite Charles Condomine. He faces a series of increasingly desperate attempts by his dead wife to disrupt his current marriage, after an eccentric medium performs a seance at his home.

Diane Lloyd will play the part of the medium, Madame Arcati, which is widely regarded as one of the finest comedy parts ever written.

Mr Howie said that casting had been a difficult decision.

"We've got a lot of good actors and the biggest problem is choosing which one to cast for which part," he said.

Mr Howie also praised his actors' efforts in learning their lines.

"It's been said that Coward's characters speak like typewriters and, whilst it's a beautifully written play, there is a lot of fast dialogue," he said.

Set designer Iain Young has been busy preparing scenery in an 'art-deco' style. Although the finishing touches have still to be applied, Mr Howie said he had seen the set and it looked superb.

Tickets are £6.50 (concessions £3) on 01684 540300. The show will also be at the Conquest Theatre, Bromyard, on Friday and Saturday, November 4 and 5. Tickets on 01885 488575.