“This is a Coward comedy of manners, where doorbells chime, the phone rings, people hide in different rooms. Yes, it’s a little bit of a French farce – and that’s a good thing. There are plenty of laughs, in an old-fashioned way. The cast is excellent and we’re happy to take this nostalgic trip with them.“
Julia Newbould
3.5 Stars
Venue: New Theatre
Sydney
Dates : Until December 13th
Present Laughter: a farce about Coward behaving badly
Present Laughter is one of Noel Coward’s most performed plays. Written at his peak in the late 30s, this one was very much based on himself and his lifestyle.
Coward said that the play was “written with the sensible object of providing me with a bravura part”: the lead role of Garry Essendine. He also stated: “Present Laughter is not so much a play as a series of semi-autobiographical pyrotechnics.”
Present Laughter was most recently seen in Australia through National Theatre Live’s Old Vic production starring Andrew Scott as Garry Essendine. This production sees Peter Eyers, who plays Essendine in the New Theatre’s production of Present Laughter, embody Noel Coward in his portrayal. It was a very different take to Scott. Eyers played Noel Coward while Scott adopted the approach of a louche actor. Both interpretations worked.
Essendine is a big role and Eyers wears it – and his numerous dressing gowns – incredibly well. He has the voice, the mannerisms, and the manners of the Coward hero, and this really brings the play to life. Eyers is well supported by a fine cast.
It was so easy to feel immediately drawn into the play through the fashion and the very stylish set design (Tom Bannerman).
The costumes, by Deborah Mulhall and Helen Kohlhagen, play a role of their own. The dresses, dressing gowns, hats, accessories, down to the stylish peacock brooch worn by Liz in act 1, were amazing. And I must say I lusted after many of them. They were of the period, but with a modern take.
In addition to Eyers, other standout performers were Liz Grindley as Scottish housemaid Miss Hamilton and also as Lady Saltburn. Her Miss Hamilton was a light touch and her accent provided humour on its own. Lib Campbell as the sexy temptress Joanna was a riot. Her inflections and her posturing really gave her character an outsized impact. She was also helped by her flamboyant outfits. Emily Weare as Essendine’s long-suffering secretary was also outstanding. Her lines were possibly the wittiest in the production, and she delivered them with impeccable timing.
Present Laughter opens in Essendine’s flat, where a young woman – Daphne Stillington (played by Larissa Turton) – wakes up after a night spent with Essendine and is clearly seen by household staff and ex-wife as another example of his bad behaviour. Essendine is a cad. He is an actor by profession and by compulsion. Everything in his life is drama and is overacted. His ex-wife Liz (Molly Haddon) is like his conscience. She calmly deals with his behaviour, tells him it is time he left his louche ways behind him, and together with his producers Hetty (Michela Noonan) and Morris (Reuben Solomon) tries to steer him right and keep his relationships in order.
Liz and Monica are the stable forces in Essendine’s life. He cannot do without either. He is all posturing and bravado but deep down, he relies heavily on these two to provide him with grounding and care. While there is frantic activity with many people around him, falling for him, adoring him and wanting to be with him, he is lonely and doesn’t know how to live as he ages. Eyers portrays this with just the right amount of pathos.
The play has dated a little, and perhaps there is a little excess in the dialogue. The first half of the play is a little long, but the second half moves at a better pace. It could be said Coward may have overwritten his character here. A nod to our times is the character update of Henry to Hetty – to provide a same sex relationship between two women; Hetty and Joanna. It is totally in-step with the Coward universe and a clever update to the script.
This is a Coward comedy of manners, where doorbells chime, the phone rings, people hide in different rooms. Yes, it’s a little bit of a French farce – and that’s a good thing.
There are plenty of laughs, in an old-fashioned way. The cast is excellent and we’re happy to take this nostalgic trip with them.
Three and a half forgotten latchkeys
Julia Newbould, Theatre Now
