In front from left, Peter Larson, Emily Jeziorski, and Teal Weatherly are joined by in back from left, Ayri Brady, Adrienne Reuss, Jeremy Jeziorski, and Christine Panebianco rehearsing a scene from Blithe Spirit at The Lucille Ball Little Theater of Jamestown. P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky

Being haunted is no laughing matter.

In Blithe Spirit it is.

Lucille Ball Little Theater of Jamestown Board President Holly Weston remembers first seeing the play as a child, and it has stuck with her.

Weston said it’s a nice escape from everything that’s happening is world.

“It’s just one of those shows that stuck with me, and it’s funny. It’s witty. It’s just so absolutely silly, and it’s everything that we (LBLTJ board members) look for in a comedy. Audiences love to have an escape. …This is an opportunity to escape that for a couple of hours and just laugh and have a good time with absolute silliness,” Weston said.

Director Jon Thompson loves directing the play.

“It is a classic that has been revived numerous times throughout it’s life, plus it’s just a fun show to do. There are a lot of zany things and characters,” Thompson added.

According to lbltj.com, Blithe Spirit is about a fussy, cantankerous novelist Charles Condomine, who has remarried but finds himself haunted (literally) by the ghost of his late first wife, Elvira. Clever, insistent and well aware of Charles’ shortcomings, Elvira is called up by a visiting “happy medium,” Madame Arcati. As everyone’s personalities clash, Charles’ current wife, Ruth, is accidentally killed. She “passes over” and joins Elvira, allowing the two “blithe spirits” to haunt the hapless Charles into perpetuity.

The cast is Jeremy Jeziorski as Charles, Emily Jeziorski as Ruth, Christine Panebianco as Elvira, Ayri Brady as Edith, Adrienne Reuss as Madame Arcati, Peter Larson as Dr. Bradman, and Teal Weatherly as Mrs. Bradman.

Panebianco really enjoys being cast as Elvira.

“She’s a very fun character,” Panebianco said. “She’s very snarky, just full of attitude – from the get go. Elvira is definitely a bit of a troublemaker.”

Emily Jeziorski said Ruth is probably the victim of the production because despite all of the rotten things that happen, she’s trying to get back to normal.

Jeremy Jeziorski likes how Charles is the straight comedic relief, how he has to react to everything that happens to him.

“He’s kind of an intellectual, and as a writer he gets a lot of fun turns of the phrase – why say something with one word when 15 will do,” Jeremy Jeziorski noted. “Turns out he’s actually like one of my favorite types of characters. The show is so tightly written.” Jeremy Jeziorski said he thinks he says just about every adjective in the English language.

“It’s very British,” Thompson said.

The play is scheduled for Friday, Saturday at 7 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., April 4, April 5 at 7 p.m., and April 6 at 2 p.m.

For ticket information visit lbltj.com or email boxoffice@lbltj.com.