What: High Spirits
Where: New York City Center
131 W. 55th St.
New York, NY
Who: Recommended for Ages 12 and Up
When: Through February 15, 2026
High Spirits is a musical version of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, which revolves around a man dealing with the ghost of his late wife. The show follows its predecessor fairly closely, but in this version, the medium Elvira, who is responsible for the dead wife's return and is tasked with sending her back, has been elevated to the central role. In the play, the central role is the husband.
In this production, the role of Elvira is played by the scene-stealing Andrea Martin, who milks it for all it's worth. Although her singing voice is not the best, everything else about her performances is delightful. Her characterization, her line readings, and her actions are all hilarious. Even when she lost her place in the script in this script-in-hand concert version of the show, she managed to make it funny. Particular highlights of her performance included her opening number, "The Bicycle Song" performed while riding on the vehicle in the song's title, and above all, "Go Into Your Trance," a song sung to her Ouija board. You would be hard pressed to find a funnier few minutes on stage than the latter.
Other standouts in the stellar cast include Katarina Lenk and Rachel Dratch. Lenk radiates a slightly evil joy in her role as the dead wife who only wants to be reunited with her dearly beloved husband. Dratch is a hoot as always in her role as maid. If you want a good laugh, you are going to want to see this quite amusing show.
And that's our view. For more about High Spirits or to purchase tickets, visit www.nycitycenter.org/events-tickets/2026-encores-series
Tune in Saturday for Still More Theater Saturday.
Photo credits:
All High Spirits production photos by Joan Marcus
Images used in this post were sent by publicists, artists, and/or PR firms and are used by permission. Address any concerns regarding image usage here.
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