Present Laughter

Noël Coward once said, “If you’re a star, you should behave like one. I always have.”

Present Laughter is arguably one of the pinnacles of Coward’s work. Written in 1939, The story concerns a famous stage star Garry Essendine, styled on Coward himself. While planning a tour of a play in Africa, he has affairs with a debutante and his producer's boyfriend, meets with an insane playwright, deals with his secretary's demands as well as those of his ex-wife.

Present Laughter poses and answers the question: Who is the real Garry Essendine? It’s a clever take on fame, celebrity, and the self-imposed isolation experienced by the famous and entitled. But the character of Garry Essendine goes further, and here we see Coward portraying himself or a parody of himself.

Garry will become attached to whoever offers themselves to him, but he’s actually self-sufficient and the truth teller of the play.

This version has been updated by gender reversing roles and leaning towards Coward’s more likely intentions regarding sexuality. Even with an update, Present Laughter’s urbane witticisms and exchange of insults are as good as anything written today.

Garry surrounds himself with a retinue of employees, lovers, exes, and hangers-on (the ‘firm’) whose mission is to keep him ‘on track’ in order to meet something unfulfilled in themselves. But Garry simply loves to ‘act,’ and he knows he doesn’t need his entourage as much as they need him.

Director Matthew Warchus’s direction shapes the play as high farce. The play is structured so the last scene where Liz insists on returning to Garry sits on well-defined foundations.

The single room set by Rob Howell is art deco inspired, with high windows curving inwards to the ceiling, pointing to a central panel featuring a rose held lovingly by a female hand, or does the rose symbolise Garry?

The cast is exceptional, headed by Andrew Scott as Garry, best known for his role in Sherlock playing James Moriarty. He struts, rants, pleads, but most of all inhabits the character. He is every inch the frustrated, spoilt actor searching for some reality in life. It is a bravura performance, nuanced and with perfect timing. His scenes with his ex-wife Liz are a highlight.

The rest of the cast features the mature-age secretary Monica (Sophie Thompson), knowing cockney valet Fred (Joshua Hill), and the lovestruck but cunning Daphne (Kitty Archer). The Scandinavian housekeeper (Miss Erikson) is played by Liza Sadovy as a droll individual who knows more than she lets on. She also plays the delightfully dotty Lady Saltburn.

Indira Varma is superbly arrogant as estranged wife Liz, and Luke Thallon is hilarious as the pseudo-intellectual young playwright from Uckham, Roland Maule.

The seduction scene between Garry and the testosterone charged Joe (Enzo Cilenti in tuxedo and slick back hair) is intense and sensual. Suzie Toase gives us a forceful, butch Helen; she and husband Joe (Abdul Salis) are gender reversals of the original characters.

The role reversal and the way sexuality is managed is one of the highlights of this production. Coward, in the 1930s was unable to explore bisexuality in his plays, he could only hint at it. Allowing men to show their affection openly to other men becomes a weapon the characters can use against each other and others from outside their circle. It adds another dimension, bringing the play right up to today and doubling the entertainment values.

Right from curtain up the pace is like a freight train with bursts of extra energy thanks to intelligent direction, brilliant design, and a perfect cast. Everything is  focussed to dig deep into Coward's text and unearth the very human and often moving subtext underneath.

The only thing missing is the chance to sit in the audience and be ‘part of the production.’

Present Laughter is an ingenious take on a classic and comes up fresh as a daisy even after eighty-five years. Magnificently staged and acted, it is compelling viewing!

Barry Hill OAM

Photographs by Manuel Harlan

https://sharmillfilms.com.au/national-theatre-live/nt-live-present-laughter-encore/