Noel Coward fluff, but good fluff. The characters are charming, even when they are behaving badly. Steven Sutcliffe was great as Garry Essendine, Claire Julien was his match as Liz Essendine.
mary Haney gave a restrained performance as the long suffering secretary Monica Reed.
A noteworthy new comer is Jonathan Tan, who gave us an amazingly funny, hyperactive and gymnastic Roland Maule.
All other parts were equally well played.
The set was divine -Keith wants to move in.
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ReplyDeleteNo caveats. I know people say this play is weak, but I find it thoroughly enjoyable if the production is good.
ReplyDeleteAnd this production is excellent.
Schurmann's direction is fluid and well paced and the cast was universally excellent, no false notes here.
It was particularly nice to see Mary Haney doing so well. She has sometimes had roles where she has been just a stereotype, which is a waste of her talents.
I do have to single out Sutcliffe's Garry Essendine too. This is a role it is easy to drop in a visiting star and let him play himself or a caricature of Noel Coward but Sutcliffe presented a real person and generated sympathy for him, even while you were shaking your head and laughing at his antics.
I had a thoroughly good time. (And, as Cathy said, I loved the set.)