Present Laughter

Present Laughter
By Noël Coward. Old Mill Theatre, South Perth, WA. Directed by Barry Park. Sep 27 - Oct 12, 2019

Present Laughter is proving very popular in Perth of late, with this being the third production in a little over a year. Old Mill’s incarnation is a lavish, well polished production of one of Nöel Coward’s best plays.

A beautiful looking production, David Cotgreave’s elegant set, predominantly in black and white, nicely evokes the elegance of the era, while being consciously theatrical, and it is beautifully lit by Mark Nicholson. The costumes, by Jenny Prosser, Nyree Hughes and Dinah Zaikos, are particularly gorgeous, a tribute to a glamorous 1942 that never really existed. It is interesting to see this played with a mature cast after several student productions, as certain themes are much stronger when the characters are played to age.

A top quality cast is led by Peter Clark as Garry Essendine, a role originally played by Coward himself. Peter is in his element in a credibly Cowardesque performance that set the tone beautifully. Playing opposite Peter, as his amicably estranged wife Liz, is his real-life wife Nyree Hughes, who blends affection with exasperation beautifully, while looking exquisite. Jenny Howard is delightful as long suffering but very efficient secretary Monica Reed, with the other household staff nicely played by Declan Waters and Grace Hitchin.

Tarryn McGrath is sweet in the not-so-innocent ingenue role of Daphne Stillington, in situations later nicely replicated by Grace Edwards in the femme-fatale role of Joanna - played with much glamour. Thomas Dimmick proves an audience favourite in a very physical portrayal of Roland Maule. Nigel Goodwin, relatively new to Perth, performs well as Morris, nicely paired with a solid performance from Dean McAskill as Henry. Meredith Hunter rounds out the cast, with a nicely realised cameo as Lady Saltburn.

Multiple productions have not dimmed the enthusiasm for Present Laughter, or perhaps this is a statement about the calibre of this particular production. With only a handful of seats remaining for the rest of the season, this show deserves its full houses. Good old-fashioned entertainment.

Kimberley Shaw

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