Weekend Showcase: If the Spirit Moves at Theatre Elision
Crystal’s Theatre Elision begins their new season with the world premier of the musical If the Spirit Moves. The tale is set in the immediate-post-World War One 1920s. Daphne is a disillusioned, young American expatriate artist. She’d been living in Europe, where she got involved in the Dada art movement. “She comes back to New York wanting a fresh start and a new chapter,” said Serena Brook who plays Daphne.
Daphne finds a place to stay with her old friend Desiree, but now needs to find a way to make money. “Desiree convinces her to run a racket. To pretend to be a spirit medium. And Daphne is very reluctant. She’s a little bit sheltered. She doesn’t want to fool anybody,” said Brook. But during their first scam seance Daphne discovers that she really can communicate with the dead.
“All of these people have lost someone in the war. If it’s a daughter, or a loved one, or a sergeant. They all want to reconnect and kind of heal those wounds,” said Director Lindsay Fitzgerald.
Janet Trow plays Lady Aspen who has moved to America. She is still grieving the loss of her daughter who was killed while serving as a nurse during the war.
“The grief of losing her child is weighing heavily on her and just the opportunity to speak to her and feel. There’s a moment when she feels embraced by her during the seance. And it just buoys her up,” said Trow.
“If the Spirit Moves“ only has a limited six night run. The opening premier on Tuesday, September 24th features a talk-back with the actors and playwright, and a party following the show.
