The opening show of Theatre Works' 29th season is Noël Coward's "Blithe Spirit," written in 1941 to take Britain's mind off the German bombing campaign. An otherworldly comedy about urbane writer Charles Condomine and his playfully sarcastic second wife Ruth — Charles invites eccentric medium Madame Arcati to conduct a séance, hoping to expose her as a fraud. When Madame Arcati accidentally causes Charles' dead first wife Elvira to materialize, havoc ensues as Elvira decides she desperately wants Charles back and wages a battle of wits with Ruth. The gorgeous British home set is by Mark Anderson, and the beautiful costumes are by Sharon Charette. The set is rigged to fall apart when Charles leaves his home for good — a very impressive moment.

Playing the leading role of Charles is Mark Anderson, who has over 700 lines in this part. He is marvelous, delivering his lines with high energy throughout this demanding role. Lynn Nadrowski is topnotch as the worried, put-upon second wife Ruth — her biting delivery makes her stand out as she contends with Elvira's crazy antics, Charles' strange behavior, and Madame Arcati's wacky tantrums. Kim Alessandro plays the mischievous Elvira, clad in a gray evening gown. She oozes sex appeal as she returns to claim Charles as her own — ethereal and captivating as she throws things, turns on the gramophone, and loves scaring Ruth, who cannot see her.

Lisa Forsgard is Madame Arcati, stealing many a scene as she screams, yells, faints, and conducts séances to help Charles rid himself of Elvira. Chris Kibbe and Lydia Mattera play Dr. and Mrs. Bradman, witnesses to the first séance, bringing an energetic power to their roles. Patricia Abrames plays the scatter-brained maid Edith, constantly running back and forth to the kitchen, and gets to show off her singing voice near the end of the show with "Always." So for a trip back to the 1940s, be sure to catch "Blithe Spirit" at Theatre Works.

Theatre Works' holiday show is the world premiere of Frank O'Donnell's original play "Ant'ny Claus: A Dysfunctional Family Christmas." It's the story of Ant'ny — Santa's not-so-little little brother — who spends every Christmas Eve waiting for Code Red Suit, his call from the North Pole to fill in for Santa. While he and his family wait — wife Carmella, mother-in-law Carmella Senior, son Sonny, daughter Holly, Bruno the Elf, and a talking reindeer named Bennie Blue Balls — they work through the night in typical North Providence style. Based on a character Frank has played at Christmas gatherings for fifteen years, the show is an Italian-American spin on Christmas, a lot like Saturday Night Live. Frank and Mark Anderson co-direct the sixteen-member cast, and the enthusiastic audience leapt to their feet at the conclusion of the show. Mark built the gorgeous set; the costumes are by Sharon Charette.

Geoff White plays Ant'ny, delivering a tour-de-force performance as the curmudgeonly character who yearns to become Santa one day. He makes numerous wisecracks and hilarious one-liners while waiting impatiently by the phone, insulting his mother-in-law constantly and yelling at the Christmas carolers at his door — including the smallest one, played in his debut performance by second grader Seth Bousquet, who gives Ant'ny his comeuppance several times.

Bethany Lynn Giammarco brings a clever spin to Carmella, his long-suffering wife — hilarious in a TV interview, and in the scene where she tries to cheer Ant'ny up by singing "Ant'ny Baby" to the tune of "Santa Baby." Connie Anderson is a hoot as Carmella Senior, the bossy know-it-all mother-in-law — reminiscent of Sophia Petrillo from Golden Girls. She's made the nine fishes for Christmas Eve, insists every guest eat before they leave, and makes a deal with Santa to be quiet for two minutes if he brings her two cases of Jack Daniels.

Other comic characters include John Morris as Bruno the head elf, dismissed by Santa for exceeding the five-foot height limit, who delivers a comic monologue to the audience; Lynn Nadrowski as Bennie Blue Balls, Rudolph's younger brother, who makes hilarious news reports about the reindeer at the North Pole; Padraig Mahoney as son Sonny, who wants to be called Ajar and refuses to eat fish on Christmas Eve; Phoebe Perelman as the petulant Holly; and Fred Reinhardt as Santino, the real Santa Claus, whose entrance is a comic gem. So for a marvelous alternative to "A Christmas Carol," be sure to catch Ant'ny Claus and get into the spirit of Christmas.

Theatre Works' current show is the 1962 Stephen Sondheim musical comedy "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" — his first show as composer and lyricist, which ran on Broadway for 964 performances. A combination of the hilarious illogical antics of ancient Roman comedy and the zany energy of classic vaudeville, it follows Pseudolus, a slave who wants to be free, as he navigates a tangle of courtesans, warriors, shrewish wives, and doddering neighbors in ancient Rome. Director Connie Anderson picks the best 18 cast members to play these wacky characters. Musical director Mary Jo Rett taught all the difficult Sondheim songs while Connie also served as choreographer, creating the dance steps. Paul Adam is stage manager. Connie also ran sound and lights. The lovely costumes are by Sharon Charette, and Mark Anderson built the superb two-story set of three colorful houses. The hard-working cast is rewarded with a standing ovation.

Ed Benjamin III is topnotch in the leading role of Pseudolus. Ed acts, sings, and dances as this crazy character with ease — the one-liners slip off his tongue with a laugh-a-minute intensity. His strong voice fills the theatre in "Pretty Little Picture", "Free", the comic duet "Lovely", and "Comedy Tonight". Kevin Fish as Hero displays beautiful naivete alongside a strong baritone voice, sparkling in his scenes with Frankie Gallucci as the dim but gorgeous Philia, who shows off a phenomenal soprano in "I'm Lovely" and "That'll Show Him".

Three of the biggest scene stealers are Shelly Whittle as Hysterium, David Schrag as Senex, and Lisa Forsgard as Domina. Shelly is a hoot as the hysterical slave — constantly kicked and yelled at, and leaving the audience in stitches when he dresses as the virgin in the second act. David is hilarious as Senex in his pursuit of the supposed virgin, leading to the showstopping vaudeville quartet "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid." Lisa as Domina is a laugh a minute — her "Dirty Old Man" song, her chase scene disguised as the virgin, and her scene convincing Miles she entertained 200 soldiers are all priceless.

Joe Casey captures the vain snooty behavior of Miles Gloriosus and shows off a splendid voice in "Bring Me My Bride." Christopher Kibbe plays the smarmy whorehouse owner Marcus Lycus with finesse. Frank O'Donnell is a hoot as the doddering old Erronius, who must run around the seven hills of Rome before he can find his children. The courtesans and Proteans bring a lot of fun to the show as well. So for a fun-filled evening of madcap antics, be sure to catch "Forum" at Theatre Works.

Theatre Works' latest production "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" has a dry wit and is filled with intellectual humor, laugh-out-loud comedy, and "icebox laughs." Author Steve Martin tries to capture what would happen if Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein were to meet in the pre-dawn of their greatness — Einstein working on his theory of relativity, Picasso about to enter the Rose phase of his artistic journey. Director Joshua Smith does a fantastic job with a very challenging play: all the actors seem perfect in their roles, the show has a smooth pace, and the humor is carefully crafted.

The play opens in the Lapin Agile bar with owner Freddy, played by Ross Galvin, and the faithful barfly Gaston, played by Geoff White. Galvin plays Freddy in a measured, even tone — the enlightened buffoon, a difficult balance to find — while Geoff White's booming, resonant voice has the audience in his grasp before he can say "Boom-de-ay." Both command tremendous stage time and never slip out of character.

Then enters what this reviewer considers one of the best character performances he has ever seen: Padraig Mahoney as Albert Einstein. Mahoney arrives in a sharp tailored suit and does a flawless job — a carefree wit and charm, a perfect German accent, and detailed character work that makes his performance wonderful to watch. Freddy's wife Germaine is played with wisdom and smoothness by Saoirse E. Parisian. Samantha Acampora as Suzanne commands the stage with her usual ease, breathing passionate life into the character and handling a substantial monologue about her night with Picasso with wonderful dynamics and playfulness.

Mark Anderson plays the art critic Sagot — looking great in his green vest and purple ascot in front of the set he himself designed — with a sly, cocky charm. Christopher Ferreira bursts in as Picasso with off-the-wall energy and enthusiasm, bragging about his love of women while a hurt Suzanne listens. Acampora does some brilliant work here, showing heartbreaking hurt and disappointment. Joey Rodriguez plays the Businessman Schmendiman with wonderful energy. Andrew Mattera rounds out the show with a spectacular appearance as a certain 20th-century iconic singer, complete with a spot-on impression, fantastic comic timing, and one fabulous costume.

"Picasso at the Lapin Agile" is about "taking the impossible and breathing it into life" — and all the actors and crew of this production do exactly that, creating a charming, intelligent, and joyful night of theater.