The very mention of the word “blithe” in the title of DVC’s latest production signals a very different sort of play.

“Blithe Spirit,” transports the audience to a world where people speak with distinct British accents and know more words than the average pocket dictionary.

Written by Noel Coward and directed by Beth McBrien, the comedy is set in high-class British society, where Charles Condomine, a playwright, has been diagnosed with writer’s block. He invites a spiritual medium to his home for use as reference material to jumpstart his work.

The play is humorous due to Coward’s witty wordplay and dry humor, as well as the actors’ ability to deliver their lines with flair.

Kerel Rennacker and Juliet Paulson as the playwright and his second wife, Ruth, further bring this humor to life by emphasizing the wordplay through delivery and tone of voice. Sam Callahan’s portrayal of a jumpy ex-navy servant also injects a sense of the absurd.
   
As luck would have it, the medium is none other than Madame Arcati, an eccentric character who has had her share of success in channeling spirits. After a series of flamboyant séances, Arcati falls to the ground with a thump.

Molly Taylor’s portrayal of Madame Arcati’s exuberant way of expressing herself serves as a focus for some of the sillier moments, with the audience chuckling as she recites nonsensical poems into the darkness. The laughter grows even louder as dinner guests, Mr. and Mrs. Bradman, played by Soren Santos and Megan Howe, parody her antics behind her back.

Everyone concludes Madame Arcati is raving mad – except for the playwright, who finds himself face to face with his dead first wife, Elvira.

The audience is allowed to see Victoria Zachery bring the mischievous Elvira to life, while those on stage remain oblivious to the pranks she pulls. This generates the feeling of being in the midst of an inside joke.

Early in the play, the use of lighting and the impromptu shaking of the table were boring and not very special, but the later scenes make clever use of props.

“Blithe Spirit” runs through May 17, with 8 p.m. performances on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 Sunday matinees in the Arena Theater; the cost is $10-$15.