STAGE SCENE
Alexandra Horn is psyched up for 'Blithe Spirit'

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

Stefanie Anderson plays Elvira and Alexandra Horn is Madame Arcati in a scene from Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit," premiering tonight at Diamond Head Theatre. "No matter what happens ... she has a wonderful attitude," Horn says of the psychic character she portrays in her return to the stage. Diamond Head Theatre 'Blithe Spirit' A comedy by Noel Coward Premieres at 8 p.m. today; repeats 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays, through Feb. 10 Diamond Head Theatre $10-$40; discounts for students, seniors and military 733-0274

Horn, a veteran actress who lives in Kailua, made her Broadway debut at age 12 opposite Shirley Booth in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." She's done a bunch of roles over the years and is returning to the Diamond Head Theatre tonight.

"I have a semi-photographic mind," she says, recalling specific facts from years long gone. For example: "The last time I was interviewed, I had fallen ... and had a bruised nose. I haven't done a show for about three years, and let's face it, it's not worth leaving home to do a little part. But this ... Arcati is a delight. A real medium, not a fake.

"I like the fact that no matter what happens, how things go wrong, how cross she may be, she is very positive and very happy," said Horn. "She has a wonderful attitude."

She tried out specifically for Arcati but also because of its director, Scott Rogers. She wondered if it was the same Scott Rogers from her acting past.

They had history, she said.

Horn then was married to John Kernell; both worked for Herb Rogers, a Mainland producer who introduced the "road show" concept to Hawai'i in the '60s and '70s. Horn was a member of the regular supporting company, cast in secondary roles while "name" players added marquee value to a series of summer musicals at Blaisdell Concert Hall.

"I remember Scotty, who would come down to the theater with his dad, and one time, I asked Herb if I could bring him to the back of the balcony, to watch the show and watch the scenery changes, as long as he would not make a sound," Horn said.

"It was amazing. Here was this little person, age 6, doing gestures but not making sounds, mouthing all the lyrics to 'South Pacific.' I was pregnant at that time, and hadn't seen Scott since, until the auditions (for 'Blithe Spirit').

"He's a wonderful director and very good with actors, very amazing and very kind," she said. "I am immensely grateful to Scott, who saw something in me, when he really could have cast the show from an A-list."

To brush up on the ability to see the future or call up spirits, Horn said, she read a book by one of the experts of the genre, James Van Praagh, deliberately avoiding seers, astrologers or other folks involved in psychic phenomena.

She wasn't certain if she believed in mediums or not, but figured her acting could convince audiences that she could "see." Her eccentric nature would be a plus, she felt.

"My longtime friend, Terence Knapp (the UH actor, director and expert on Shakespeare) told me I'm tilted, in a loving way, and that that's one of my greatest assets, so I should hold on to it."

So with her flair, she is coming out of mothballs to co-star in her first play in three years since "Love Letters" with Jerry Tracy at Tenney Theatre.

She's never seen ghosts or felt their presence but is enjoying the mischievous spirit of the Coward classic.

But, she said, she encountered a strange but "real" experience when she was 5. "I walked in the den and our terrier was lying on the couch. I said, 'Hello, Rocky,' and he said 'Hello' back. I called in Katherine, our help, and told her to come see what happened, but Rocky didn't say hello again. But I really believed he spoke to me. It's no fantasy."