Present Laughter

This is a classic bit of Noel Coward, a light comedy full of effortless clipped wit, razor sharp put downs and at least three different smoking jackets for the lead.

Set in the lovingly crafted London studio of ageing west end heart throb Garry Essendine (Robert Bathurst of Cold Feet fame), the show follows his trials and tribulations as he juggles a gaggle of smitten admirers, an incestuous circle of friends and an impending mid life crisis.

It’s a joyous and voyeuristic glance into Coward’s heyday, with the production doing homage to the play’s 1939 vintage with glamorous taste of period privilege, valets, extravagance and flowing evening wear. A last hurrah before wartime austerity made everyone miserable.

The first half eases you into the thesp-fest social sitcom that Garry inhabits, centre of various orbiting females split into two camps, those who want to get into his silk dressing gown and to hang with consequences and those trying to look out for him.

Those making advances consist of Daphne the smitten debutante love interest (Dorothea Myer-Bennett ) met on a night out and Joanna, sultry, intelligent and highly predatory wife to Garry’s friend and backer Henry and love interest of Garry’s other friend and associate Morris. In the sensible corner we have Liz, his seen-it-all-before ex-wife (Serena Evans) and Monica, his long suffering secretary - played with Lypton-esque aplomb by the show’s director Belinda Lang.

Handling these competing stocking clad demands, not to mention the various other chums and hangers on means that Garry is constantly acting. In fact he’s never quite himself, his marvellous stage skills never switch off as he flits from character to character to deal with the daily demands thrust on him, a fact which fills Garry with both pride and despair.

A dose of interval gin later and things really hit the fan. Confidences are shared, indiscretions observed, advances made and the pace cranks up to a fast moving and witty farce. The dialogue gets better and more cutting, with the scenes dominated by the increasingly waspish female cast especially good. Busily trying to arrange a forthcoming tour in Africa and under constant bombardment with demands from friends and hangers on, Garry starts to crumble under the pressure with hilarious consequences.

You’ll recognise a lot of faces from TV here and to their credit they deliver the witty goods impeccably. Coward plays are all about crisp delivery and precisely timed humour, fortunately the experienced cast here have got this down to a tee. Top hole.

Present Laughter plays at Nottingham's Theatre Royal from Monday 1 March to Saturday 6 March 2010.

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