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.
Production photos by Grace Eden.
