When questioned about his reason for writing Present Laughter Noel Coward is reputed to have replied “with the sensible object of providing me with a bravura part”.
That role served Coward well. He went on to play it many times, and once he vacated it, talented leading men around the globe vied for the opportunity to put their interpretation on it.
Written in just six days in 1939, Present Laughter follows a few chaotic days in the life of self-obsessed actor, Garry Essendine, who is experiencing a mid-life crisis just as he is about to set out on a tour of Africa in the original play, but Australia, for ACT Hub’s hugely entertaining version.
In its version, directed by Karen Vickery, ACT Hub has spiced up Coward’s play with some changes to the text, the gender of a couple of the characters, and set loose an excellent cast of experienced actors, led by Jarrad West as Garry Essendine, to mine Coward’s script for plentiful laughs, as they create a chaotic world that revolves around Essendine.
Taking Coward at his word Jarrad West delivers a masterful bravura comic performance as Garry Essendine, never missing a beat as he connives and blusters his way through increasingly silly situations.
He receives excellent support from Crystal Mahon who impresses as Essendine’s warm and knowing wife, Liz, who together with his long-suffering secretary Monica, delightfully portrayed by Tracy Noble, has the unenviable task of keeping Essendine’s entourage of admirers and lovers at bay.
Aiding and abetting them, Jenna Roberts is hilariously subversive as his Scandinavian housekeeper Miss Erikson, while Leonidas Katsanis’s charming if rather creepy butler, Fred, hints of more behind his relationship with Essendine than merely employer/employee.
Joe Dinn is terrific as Essendine’s friend, Morris, who’s sudden infatuation with the glamorous vamp Joanna, (Karina Hudson) sets the cat among the pigeons; particularly as Joanna was previously in a relationship with Henrietta (Amy Kowalczuk) and goes on to successfully seduce Essendine.
Societal norms have moved on since this play was written in 1939. With the agreement of the rights holders, director Vickery has made cuts and changes to the original script to update the play and reduce the running time.
In Coward’s version, Henrietta was originally Henry, and while the gender change certainly adds additional piquancy, besides providing Amy Kowalczuk with another opportunity to display her much admired versatility, it also distracts by raising confusion about apparently ambivalent sexual relationships between other of the characters.
Similarly, it is difficult to fathom the gains achieved by changing the gender of Coward’s character Daphne to David, other than saddling talented young actor, Callum Doherty with the impossible task of creating a believable character, or by having Michael Cooper play the already puzzling Roland Maule at such a distractingly hyper-energetic level. Farce works best when the characters are believable.
Coward’s plays are exercises in style, both in presentation and acting. This production offers much to relish in both regards. The forties-era costumes by Fiona Leach and Jennie Norberry are quite beautiful, as is the art deco set design by Karen Vickery and Michael Spark.
Brent Warren’s stylish properties add an appropriate sense of luxury to the proceedings, and Disa Swifte’s lighting design and the witty music choices by Patrick Dixon and Neville Pye, especially for the cheeky scene changes, successfully compliment the action.
Given the impressive diligence lavished on this production elsewhere, it was impossible not to notice details overlooked, such as unpressed costumes and missed masking on the staircase, which then became distractions. Hopefully these will be rectified by the time you see this delightful production.
Present Laughter
ACT Hub at Causeway Hall, 14 Spinifex Street, Kingston (ACT)
Performance: Thursday 5 June 2025
Season continues to 14 June
Information and Bookings: www.acthub.com.au
Image: Leonidas Katsanis as Fred, Jarrad West as Garry Essendine and Tracy Noble as Monica in Present Laughter – photo by Jane Duong
Review: Bill Stephens OAM