The Lace Market Theatre's festive offering is Noel Coward's Present Laughter. Director Gill Scott explains why

Present Laughter" is the one Noel Coward play based on his own experiences as a celebrity and as the centre of a coterie whose livelihood depended on his success.

It was written in 1939 but, because of the outbreak of war was not performed until 1941, and this production was on the orders of Winston Churchill.

After making the film "In Which We Serve", a tribute to the heroism of the Royal Navy, Coward was keen to go on active service, but Churchill regarded his talents could be best used in keeping spirits high through laughter.

Why is the Lace Market Theatre putting on this production at Christmas?

Pantomime is the traditional Christmas entertainment, but there are many excellent productions of pantomime in the city and we wanted to put on something of a lighter nature at this time for people who wanted an alternative to the usual fare. This play fits the bill admirably as it is funny and witty with characters you can laugh at without their being caricatures.

What aspects of the play are autobiographical?

The main character, Garry Essendine, is probably based partly on Coward and he doesn't spare himself from his own biting satire. Garry loves his celebrity and the adoration of fans; he is vain, self indulgent and desperately trying to forget that he is fast approaching middle age. His entourage, including his estranged wife, Liz, can see he is riding for a fall and are trying to save him from himself. Monica, his secretary in the play is based on Coward's personal assistant and Morris, the producer of his plays, on Coward's agent. The plot revolves around the attempts of an adoring debutante, Daphne, who feels she is the love of his life, Joanna, the sexually predatory wife of his backer, Henry, and a wanna be playwright, Roland, to entrench themselves in his life as only they truly understand him. All these situations are drawn from Coward's own experience of stardom. Certainly when Daphne auditions for him you can almost hear the lines of "Don't put your daughter on the stage, Mrs. Worthington" being composed. [For Mrs. Worthington read Lady Saltburn in this play]"

Why did you want to direct this play?

I'm a great admirer of Coward as a playwright. His plots are well- constructed and clearly developed and his use of language is impeccable. In one of the scenes he tells a would-be playwright to start from the ground up and learn what is act-able and what isn't. That advice could well be adopted by people writing for the stage as some recent plays are more geared to television or film with fades in and fades out - not easy with physical bodies to move on and off in front of an audience. Coward writes specifically for the stage. Another reason is that this play, while being funny, has something to say about the cult of celebrity. It is a wonderful ego boost but it is not something a celebrity can turn on and off just when they want it. Particularly with modern technology it can be difficult for celebrities to avoid having the whole of their lives scrutinised, not what they always like.

Were there any particular difficulties?

One thing I am aware of is that often people have a very fixed idea of how anyone playing a Coward part should sound. What I did not want was an actor attempting a Coward impersonation I was reassured when I heard the radio version with Sam West who spoke with an RP accent. That is therefore what we are aiming at. The other thing was that Coward's idea of a good play was "one with a whacking great part for myself". Garry Essendine is certainly "a whacking great part" which John Parker has had to learn. He has risen to the challenge fantastically.

What have you most enjoyed about directing the play?

The rehearsals have been tremendous fun and I have so enjoyed working with this cast. They have all "owned" their characters and brought nuances and subtleties to their performance which are a delight to watch. Along with the other protagonists "Fred" and "Miss Erikson", the domestic staff, are real individuals who convey beautifully their own thoughts on the preposterous situations. I have also enjoyed working with set builders, painters and technical staff who have had a really valuable input into the set. Given a rough idea they have fleshed out the concept way beyond my original thoughts and produced something visually stunning. Cast have had their input in this too, so it has been a real collaborative effort.

Why would you encourage people to leave a warm fireside to come and see this play?

It is a jewel of a play that one doesn't often see performed as "Private Lives" is more famous, but I think "Present Laughter" is equally good and deserves to be better known. I think we can promise audiences a very entertaining and worthwhile evening spent in a warm and welcoming theatre - just the thing to fit in with the season and provide a brief oasis of laughter.

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