At its core, Encores! at City Center is about reviving shows you've never heard of with big names on little rehearsal. High Spirits embodies this spirit. Almost everyone was on book, save for Rachel Dratch who hardly has any lines, though she is hilarious just moping around. Andrea Martin was not only on book, but she lost her spot and had to halt the show. Steven Pasquale kindly hustled over to help her find her line. That was the funniest part of the show because she's such a comedienne about it. The show is a musical adaptation of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit. Coward's wry humor is light and British. It's like watching Downton Abbey; the latest Downton movie actually featured a visit from Mr Coward himself. Philippa Soo has the sensibility and mannerisms for it. She plays opposite her real life husband, Pasquale, playing his second wife. The plot is about a seance that brings back his first wife's ghost. None of the music is all that memorable, or good frankly, but Katrina Lenk has a couple songs as the first wife that suit her voice nicely. Overall, it's a weird show. It actually quite closely resembles the plot of Death Becomes Her. But it's not as funny or fun as Death Becomes Her.
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