‘Private Lives’ – by Noël Coward; Directed by Diego Arciniegas; Scenic Design by Izmir Ickbal; Sound Design by Eric Hamel; Costume Design by Nia Safarr Banks; Lighting Design by Anshuman Bhatia; Fight & Intimacy Direction by Angie Jepson. Presented by Gloucester Stage at 267 E. Main St., Gloucester, through June 25
by Mike Hoban
Early on in the classic Noel Coward comedy Private Lives, Victor, the blissfully unaware second husband of Amanda, the beautiful and sophisticated socialite, laments to her, “I wish I knew you better,” to which she quickly replies, “It’s just as well you don’t.” Truer words were never spoken, and over the next two hours, he and Sybil Chase, his equally unlucky marital counterpart, will get to know their new spouses in ways that they never bargained for in this riotous season opener for Gloucester Stage.
The play opens at a seaside hotel in France with two separate but adjoining balconies facing the audience, occupied by two newly married couples, Victor Prynne (Stephen Shore) and Amanda (Katie Croyle) and Elyot Chase (Gunnar Manchester) and his young bride Sibyl (Serenity S’rae). Elyot and Sibyl emerge from their suite first and are having drinks and engaging in romantic small talk before Sibyl unwittingly turns the conversation to what went wrong in Elyot’s first marriage. It’s not exactly a recipe for harmony on your wedding night, and it’s also clear that it’s not a settled subject for Elyot. They soon exit and make way for the strait-laced and starry-eyed Victor and his new wife Amanda on their balcony. Victor repeats the same mistake as Sibyl, inquiring how Elyot could ever leave such a jewel as Amanda, and he gets a similar reaction. While it becomes clear that both divorced parties are seeking a life with a more stable – but less intellectually (and sexually) stimulating – partner, we soon find out that what many people think they need in a relationship isn’t always what they actually want. And in a coincidence one could only find on a soap opera or a Love Boat rerun, Elyot and Amanda discover each other on their respective balconies, setting the stage for an uproarious evening in this three-act play.
Elyot and Amanda are painfully witty and erudite, with a penchant for casual cruelty, the epitome of 1930s white privilege that borders on the pathological. What they possess in style and sophistication, they make up for with a near-total lack of empathy. They are, quite frankly, pretty horrible people, which is also why they are so perfect together. Great comedies are not made about spiritual people; to the contrary, awful people doing outlandish things is a staple of modern comedy (George Costanza on “Seinfeld,” Cartman on “South Park,” Larry David on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” etc.), and Elyot and Amanda are at the head of that class.
Their deep affection for each other seems genuine, at least until they recall awkward or unpleasant incidents and behaviors from their marriage or the five-year period after. When that occurs, and their “time-out” practice fails, they launch into a battle of stinging invectives – which are quite funny and also include physical exchanges. While that may sound a little disturbing, director Diego Arciniegas and fight director Angie Jepsen have concocted a pair of brilliant slow-motion fight sequences that alone are worth the price of admission, with the entire cast getting in on the act. The physical comedy elements blunt some of the more violent aspects of the exchanges for the easily triggered, but also elevate and clearly differentiate this production from past stagings.
The performances by the cast make this production sing with comic energy. Croyle goes deep inside her character, and it’s hard to take your eyes off her facial expressions as she transitions from loving partner to screaming banshee and back again. As Elyot, Manchester brings a John Cleese (in Fawlty Towers) quality to his character, and it’s really effective, even at his most malicious. The script shortchanges Shore and S’rae (making her professional debut) for most of the play, but when they get to shine in the final act, they make the most of their chance, particularly in the physical scenes. Kudos are also in order for Izmir Ickbal’s elegant sets (marble balconies and a hotel room complete with grand piano).
This production of Private Lives – which takes portions of the play out of the drawing room into a WWE ring – injects new life into the comedy classic. It’s well worth the drive north if you’re in need of some belly laughs. For tickets and information, go to: https://gloucesterstage.com/private-lives/
