Review: Private Lives. Lace Market Theatre. Nottingham.

Noël Coward’s play Private Lives, published and produced in 1930, is quite probably one of his most performed plays both professionally and in amateur productions. Not only does it sparkle in its original form but has also inspired a BBC Four telemovie, William Ivory’s Burton & Taylor, based on the tempestuous real-life relationship of Richard Burton (Elyot) and Elizabeth Taylor (Amanda) when they were cast in principal roles in a problematic 1983 Broadway revival. The acid and bitter performances of Dickie Burton and Liz Taylor on stage delighted the Broadway audiences as they felt they were party to art mirroring reality with a dangerous edge of authentic back-biting overspill. Elizabeth Taylor was rather prone to losing her temper due to jealousy and medicinal drugs abuse and leaving the theatre without a play for nights on end.

A recent touring professional production of Private Lives starring Nigel Havers and Patricia Hodge also drew some criticism for depicting the characters twenty plus years older than Noël Coward originally scripted them, even to it being cruelly labelled Pensioners Lives. I feel that the urbane Sir Noël Coward would have privately found that definition terribly witty. This well-aged age issue is not the case in the current Lace Market Theatre production. It is perfectly cast and glitters like a well cut diamond and is superbly directed by Colin Treliving who is also responsible for the detailed period set.

The cast are as follows Alex Milligan (Sybl Chase), Luke Willis (Elyot Chase), Jack Leo (Victor Prynne), Kathryn Edwards (Amanda Prynne) and Sally Eaton (Louise, the French speaking maid). Private Lives is considered to be a sparkling sophisticated drama full of wit but Coward’s theatre craft is also very insightful in the human depiction of marital relationships teetering on the brink of going sour despite the romance of two honeymoons on a slippery collision course. Violence by axe murder is threatened at one point! Physical brawls and acts of retribution, underscores much of the dialogue in act two and are played out with great skill. The over-consumption of alcohol, both imbibed and referred to, is on a par with that of Abigail’s Party. In one of Sibyl’s speeches she says ” I expect that she omitted to tell you that she drank fourteen glasses of brandy last night straight off ; and that the reason their first marriage was broken up was that she used to come home at all hours of the night, screaming and hiccoughing. “

Elyot: (to Victor) "I should like to explain that if you hit me I shall certainly hit you, probably equally hard, if not harder. I am just as strong as you I should imagine. Then you’d hit me again, and I’d hit you again, and we’d go on until one or the other was knocked out. Now if you’ll explain to me satisfactorily how all that can possibly improve the situation, I’ll tear off my coat and we’ll go at one another, hammer and tongs, immediately."

The acting across the board is extremely good and all four main actors shine in their own way. Having never seen the play before I am constantly amazed at how modern the dialogue sounds on the whole and the actors handle the text very well in scenes that skip from virtuous to vindictive to vivacious. A stand out ‘petite mais tres important’ role is Louise and Sally Eaton gives us a most convincing French speaking maid and she is hilariously funny.

This first night audience are amused and entranced by this highly French polished production at the Lace Market Theatre. Noël Coward would be mightily impressed dear boy.

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"Private Lives" by Noel Coward.
Nottingham Lace Market Theatre.

Elyot (Luke Willis) and Amanda (Kathryn Edwards), who were once married, find themselves in adjoining rooms in the same hotel on the French coast, both on honeymoon with their new partners, Sibyl (Alex Milligan) and Victor (Jack Leo), respectively. Elyot and Amanda's initial horror quickly evaporates and soon they’re sharing cocktails and a romantic serenade. Deciding they still love each other they both elope to Paris, leaving their new spouses at the honeymoon hotel.

Their marriage had not been a success, a diet of arguments brought about the divorce, but it seems that their current partners, have not enflamed the passion that once both ignited in each other. It is that passion that this play is all about.

We discover that very little has changed with Amanda and Elyot and the back-and-forth banter between the two is still as meaningly hurtful, but all very typical of a Noel Coward script. Amanda and Elyot also inflict quite a bit of violence on each other! To counter this there's also a very comical scene surrounding a romantic interlude on the sofa with Elyot limping off with arthritis and Amanda complaining of indigestion, as they had only recently eaten.

Then we really meet the new partners, Victor and Sibyl, who turn up at Amanda's private flat in Paris looking for the pair, and more than match Amanda and Elyot in the argumentative stakes. It's nice to watch Amanda and Elyot take an onlooker's seat, viewing the spectacle of Victor and the fireball Sibyl's meltdown scene which closes the play.

Louise, the French Maid, is played magnifiquelly by Sally Eaton.

Coward was always one for witty repartee, and this play, written in 1930, just shows how great comedy can transcend the decades, and still be funny nearly a hundred years down the line. We still find stereotyping of what is expected from males and females comedic, especially when Amanda calls Elyot out for his hypocrisy regarding his adulterous behaviour, and he retorts that he can, "because I am a man".

The chemistry between the four main actors is wonderfully believable and the delivery of the lines, as well as the script is of that certain time. We would not speak in such a way nowadays, and that is what makes the script, and story, so much fun to receive.

Directed by Colin Treliving, who also was Set Designer, and as you can see by the pictures by Grace Eden, the set is gloriously sophisticated and in keeping with the era of the play.

Lighting Design is by Simon Carter and Sound Design by Philip Hogarth; both superb in their fields of expertise, as shown throughout the play.

Stage Managed by Jae Marriott with Props Manager being James Whitby.

Needless to say, the threads adorning the actors are of the finest and classiest quality.

A wonderful farce that should be taken as entertainment and not too seriously, but a wonderful evening of classy acting with a sharp and wonderfully witty script, as well as a guideline to meter how far we have come - or maybe not come - both comedically and stereotypically in the last century.

Read the original article here.