REVIEW: Polished, Well-acted PRIVATE LIVES Rankles in Post-MeToo Era
By Ruth Ross
Some things, like wine, they say, get better with age, but that doesn’t prevent the oenophile from worrying whether that $600 bottle of Bordeaux he’s opening has turned to vinegar.
The same might be said for comedy—especially those penned by British playwright Noel Coward, whose work is having something of a “moment,” with a Broadway production of Fallen Angels and the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s rendition of Private Lives, now onstage through June 7.
Noted for skewering British upper middle-class swells behaving badly, Coward’s acerbic wit feels a bit cringe-worthy in this post-MeToo/cheating Congressmen age. Although Private Lives is amusing in parts, the wine has turned to vinegar.
The plot concerns a divorced couple, Amanda and Elyot, both recently remarried, who accidentally book adjoining suites at the same hotel for their honeymoons, only to realize that they still care for each other. Unfortunately, very soon after they ditch their respective spouses and run away to Amanda’s chic Paris pied-à-terre, the reasons they split five years previously reassert themselves, as they bicker, argue and eventually engage in a physical free-for-all that leaves the apartment—and their relationship—a wreck. And when their spouses show up unexpectedly, well, the complications are too convoluted to imagine, let alone explain. (Above, L-R: Fionna Robberson, Britt Michael Gordon, Ashley Blancher and Clark Carmichael)
It’s important to note that the quartet of actors cast by Director Michael Stewart Allen play these rather odious characters very well. As Elyot Chase, Britt Michael Gordon (above, with Robberson) is the embodiment of “flippant,” a trait of which he is inordinately proud. When asked if he’s ever ridden a camel in the Sahara, he quips, “Every week,” without missing a beat.
His physical languor is matched by Ashley Blancher (above, with Carmichael) as Elyot’s ex-wife Amanda, the quintessential 1930s sophisticate reminiscent of Katherine Hepburn. Drawing out her vowels and endlessly swanning around the stage, she morphs into a nasty she-cat when crossed.
The two abandoned spouses are the perfect foils for these two. As 23-year-old insecure post-debutante Sibyl, Fiona Robberson is an annoying child who talks incessantly and asks nonstop questions about Elyot’s first wife. And Clark Carmichael’s Victor is likewise a mismatch for Amanda, for he’s a real prig unable to deal with his wife’s wild past. He’s glad he’s “normal.” In a small role as Amanda’s French maid Louise, Nicole Lawrie brings down the house with a splendid entrance and a string of muttered imprecations—all delivered in rapid fire French—against her British employer, and Brits in general.
Dick Block has designed an elegant set to suit these upper-class shenanigans, from the first act’s terrace of a fashionable resort in the south of France to an Art Deco Paris apartment for the second and third acts. Hunter Kaczorowski has provided equally stylish costumes for the two couples; the women’s dresses, especially, suit their characters very well with Amanda in a long, metallic silver gown and Sibyl wearing a bias-cut lavender frock. Steven L. Beckel is to be commended for his sound design, especially with the music, using such popular melodies as “Taking a Chance on Love,” “Someone to Watch Over Me,” played by Eliyot on the piano in Amanda’s apartment.
Allen’s crisp direction keeps the momentum going as Amanda and Elyot trade zingers at warp speed; fight director Rod Kinter matches the verbal dueling with a full-press physical row.
Private Lives was an audience favorite when it premiered in1930, but the audience on Saturday night often gasped at the cruelty of the abuse Elyot flings at his ex-wife; of course, she gives as good as she gets, but it’s obvious that the traits for which she divorced him—cruelty and infidelity—are still extent. And, no, dressing up this atrocious behavior with haughty British accents and calling everyone “darling” doesn’t mitigate the situation.
As a dramatic piece, Private Lives, I fear, has turned to vinegar.
I say this in light of the recent egregious sexual misbehavior exhibited by several members of Congress. In 2008, when STNJ’s first performed the play, the peccadilloes of Bill Clinton and John Edwards were troubling but not so bothersome as to quell the giggles and outright laughter. This time out, however, the nastiness and abuse are grating and cringe worthy. It’s time to retire Noel Coward’s idea of humor. We need laughs at this fraught time in our history, but from some other source.
Private Lives will be performed at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre on the campus of Drew University, 36 Madison Ave., Madison, through June 7. For information and tickets, call the box office at 973.408.5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org online.
Photos by Avery Brunkus.