Review by Josip Martinčić
⭐️⭐️⭐️
One of Noël Coward’s most well known and performed plays, Present Laughter follows Garry, an aging West End star, and his flamboyant life of amorous escapades. His long-suffering secretary Monica is always there to help tidy up the mess, and Liz, his ex-wife (though they never got around to officially getting divorced) finds herself coming back to the flat where the play is set, unable and unwilling to let go. As the plot progresses, we find out that Garry doesn’t want her to let go, either. Liz, Monica, and Garry, with his manager Henry and producer Morris, form a strong friendship group, which is being ‘infiltrated’ by Henry’s wife Joanna, whose behaviour of seducing every man she sees threatens to put a rift between them all. Throw in the incompetent housekeeper and an indifferent valet and you’ve got yourself a first-class farce, filled with sharp, witty humour, meta jokes about the theatre and many tongue-in-cheek remarks. However, the play is not all light-hearted and has an emotional heart. Deep down, Garry longs for a sincere connection and grapples with loneliness he has somewhat self-imposed.
A 2019 revival, led by Andrew Scott, introduced this 1939 play to a new and wider audience, both during its run at the Old Vic and as part of National Theatre Live. This undoubtedly revitalised the play in the minds of the producers and directors. Coward’s private life as a gay man was an open secret, and his plays and songs do not shy away from playing into the camp energy. It is no wonder, therefore, that the Exeter University Theatre Company (EUTCo) decided to programme it now, at the start of LGBT+ History month, a reminder of how far the UK has come in terms of rights and representation. This student production has done a good job at capturing the absurd extremes of the emotional spectrum presented in the text.
The whole cast gave strong performances, with the central performance of Garry by Seb Tapp bursting at the seams with energy, providing the character with the expected levels of self-obsession and certainly representing the sorrow of his loneliness at the end of act 3. Because the plot is fairly ridiculous, reaching a tone of exasperation vocally early on meant that there wasn’t the space for it to grow, making the angry episodes of shouting seem one-note and lose their power. Sasha Hawksworth’s Monica was controlled and in charge, providing the necessary counter to the explosive character’s on stage. A special mention must be given to Alex Webb, who plays Roland Maule, a writer who is obsessed with Garry and who commanded the space with glee, evidently delighted to be provided the opportunity to show off his comedy skills.
The accents were excellent throughout, helping bring the social world of the wealthy 1930s Londonders to the stage. Costumes, by Olivia Whitfield, were appropriate for the chosen setting and the set worked well, though the use of blue throughout including in the attempted upholstery did remind me of the aforementioned 2019 production. Fern Boston is at the helm as director, walking the tightrope of comedy and drama, and the central theme of the play, the question ‘Are you happy?’, has been successfully grounded.
However, the choice to have the cast for most of the time, especially in the opening act, speak at break-neck speed meant that the script was not given the chance to breathe. At times, it felt like I was watching it play out at double time. It could be that the cast was nervous and it is true that the tempo and energy is needed to propel the plot forward, but it did feel like there was a lack of confidence in the jokes themselves, as a lot of the punchlines came and went without the chance for the audience to absorb them and fill the space with laughter throughout.
I particularly found the use of the piano on the stage, with the cast occasionally playing the odd tune, to be a lovely touch, and it helped honour Coward’s multifaceted nature. There is a lot of good in this production. Were the tempo reduced and vocally the tone a bit more varied, laughter may be guaranteed in even larger amounts than we had.
Present Laughter played at the Exeter Northcott Theatre from January 30th to February 1st
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