The reprieve from modern life that we all need
The elegant decadence of Richmond Theatre (and the town within which it is situated) provides the perfect setting for this new production of Noël Coward’s famous play, Present Laughter. With Tracy-Ann Oberman starring as the ultra-glamorous, eternally 39-year-old actress Geri Essendine, this is a quintessential example of easy-to-watch, easy-to-enjoy theatre, writes Melina Block.
Stifled by, but not-so-secretly reliant upon, the constant demands and attentions of her snarky secretary, well-meaning and long-suffering ex-husband and various cunning lovers, Essendine is preparing to leave New York. Unable to outgrow the nightclubs, affairs and tabloid drama that she seems to stumble into no matter how (not so) hard she tries, her journey to a new life means dealing with the loose ends in her current one.
Oberman is suitably dramatic as the charismatic, chaotic Essendine, becoming embroiled in a tangled web of rivals, friends and admirers. The hollowness of fame and the nefarious characters that are drawn to the spotlight provide enough laughs and scandalous moments to entertain anyone looking for a fun, glitzy night. Questionable (American?) accents aside, the hammy performances of the entire cast make for many memorable moments, particularly as the various convoluted love affairs that they have been concealing from one another get messily exposed in the most fabulously melodramatic manners possible.
In a world of seemingly never-ending gloomy headlines, perpetual warfare, troubling climate issues and a supposed AI apocalypse looming, watching a play that doesn’t take anything seriously – except entertaining its audience – might be just the reprieve from modern life that we all need. Indeed, if ever there was a time for campy escapism, it is now.
Booking and full details: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/present-laughter/richmond-theatre/
