The atmosphere in the foyer of the New Theatre for the opening night of their production of Noel Coward's "Present Laughter" was electric. On entering the auditorium the audience were greeted with another Tom Bannerman marvel of a set - restrained Art Deco: satin upholstered walls in shades of dark blue trimmed with gold, turquoise curtains, and muted earthy toned furniture. This is one of his finest, most elegant sets, equalled in sophistication by the superb costume designs by Deborah Mulhall & Helen Kohlhagen - a sequence of one striking black & white outfit after another, culminating in the spectacular gowns of Joanna, the femme fatale, played with malicious relish by Lib Campbell, with diction and delivery so sharp it could cut glass.
Noel Coward wrote "Present Laughter" in 1939 as a star vehicle for himself in the lead role of Garry Essendine, a successful but vain, self-obsessed, tyrannical charmer of an actor, going through a midlife crisis, and about to embark on a theatrical tour of Africa. Into his well-ordered life burst a parade of friends, exes, wannabe exes & a wannabe writer, all determined to get a piece of him. The resulting mayhem is pure farce, however Coward never lets us lose sight of the undercurrent of psychological truth in this souffle of manners. It is this ability to balance theatrical flamboyance and emotional depth which elevates "Present Laughter" beyond mere entertainment. Coward depicts his lead character as a man trapped by the suffocating demands of his fans, where fame has become a two-edged sword.
Peter Eyers delivers a nuanced performance that elegantly depicts Essendine's loneliness and emotional neediness as well as his intelligence, wit, and peacocking vanity. Across the board he is supported by a uniformly excellent cast, from those who share relatively little stage time, such as Oliver Harcourt-Ham as the smug valet Fred, and the laconic housekeeper Miss Hamilton (Liz Grindley) to Emily Weare as Essendine's all-seeing, long-suffering secretary Monica. A somewhat curious note was struck by the restrained performance of Molly Haddon as Kay Essendine, Garry's estranged wife, which seemed oddly out of place compared to the 'Eveready Bunny' energy of the rest of the cast, although she did lift in the second half. Perhaps it is that Kay completely understands Garry's contradictory nature, but, unlike his servants and work associates, she wants nothing from him, which makes her immune to his demands & histrionics. Or it could have simply been opening night nerves.
Director Lou Fischer is to be heartily congratulated on the success of this production. She has embraced the style, the wit, the zaniness, and the introspection of one of Coward's best plays. Her vision and confident mastery of the genre is everywhere apparent; but for me there was a particular moment which deftly illustrates this, one which may well have gone unregarded by many; suddenly the cast erupt into wild dancing and cavorting with Jazz Age abandon, throwing streamers, scattering cushions, and depositing glasses & empty champagne bottles all over the stage. This was the most stylish & imaginatively realised 'scene change' I have ever witnessed in the theatre, and in a few short seconds managed to encapsulate everything right with this production, where cast and creatives come together in vivacious harmony.
Having said all that, I suspect my words will have little to no effect on the box office. The word-of-mouth for this production is excellent and tickets are already selling fast. 4.5 stars
Present Laughter is playing at the New Theatre, King St. Newtown till 13th December.
Reviewed by: Garreth Cruikshank