A hearty laugh at death is always a good time, but it doesn’t come along often. Throw in some high-society marital strife and a love triangle involving the recently deceased, and you get Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit.

As the story goes, a remarried widower invites a mystic into his house. When they accidentally summon his former wife, the jealous spirit refuses to leave him alone and proceeds to wreak malicious, playful havoc, which culminates in the death of his second wife. More séances ensue.

Indeed, it is not your run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. Nor is it your typical love triangle. Coward, though always with a comic intent, manages to balance his absurdity with honest human beguilement. Yes, death is a key factor in the play, but it is far from being a definitive dark comedy as the humor avoids cynical pretense.

Aaron Blakely plays Charles, a twice-married author and the butt of the love triangle. His mannerisms are infectious and his squirrelly energy is unrelentingly captivating. An actor of substantial talent, he tackles the role with a frustrated charm as his temper drifts from the brink of insanity to acceptance.

Ruth, the second wife, played by Samantha Cole, is a high point of Blithe Spirit. With faltering grace, Cole elegantly takes on the absurdity of her desperate position, while Charles’s first wife, Elvira, played by Jennifer Ludwigsen, is smug and cunningly flirtatious.

The spiritual medium Madame Arcati, played by TaLena Bennett, is a lightning rod of energy. From spinning herself into trances to passing out on chaise lounges, she is wonderfully exhausting.

Director Scott Hafso provides a full-bodied production in Blithe Spirit. The chemistry among the three leads is spicy and the conflict is consistently engaging. Set in the round, the tone is intimate yet in-your-face. The set ­— a well-decorated 1940s living room — provides a compelling ambience for both spousal bickering and spirit-channeling.

At times, the dialogue treads close to danger with the occasionally slippery use of dialect. Madame Arcati’s accent borders on the unidentifiable, periodically sapping the humor from her comic role. Otherwise, the production is exceptionally tight.

All characters come across as well-conceived.

The fact that it is a long play and relies heavily on dialogue and repartee gives the actors time to dig well into their respective roles, and gives the entire production its well-formed delivery.

An accessible production punctuated by some outstanding acting and a witty script, Blithe Spirit is definitely worth seeing.

Reach reporter Trevor Pendras at arts@dailyuw.com.