‘Present Laughter’ is one of Noel Coward’s four great comedies of manners, along with Hay Fever, Private Lives and Blithe Spirit. It presents a masterly, exaggerated picture not only of the playwright himself but of his whole household, his court, his admirers, his lifestyle and his era.
The plot depicts a few days in the life of the successful and self-obsessed light comedy actor Garry Essendine as he prepares to travel for a touring commitment in Africa. Amid a series of events bordering on farce, Garry has to deal with women who want to seduce him, placate both his long suffering secretary and his wife, cope with a crazed young playwright, and overcome his impending mid-life crisis. The character is a caricature of the author’s real-life persona, as Coward acknowledged.
The production is produced by Ian McGuirk, directed by Mary Curtin and features an all-star Cork cast: Shirley McCarthy, Ann Dorgan, Rebecca Allman, Ian McGuirk, Marie O Donovan, Oskar Smith, Jim O Mahony, Jean Van Sinderen-Law, and Kenneth Speight!
More on Sat 29 Oct |
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