It was with some trepidation that I ventured out to the Quay Theatre to see Sudbury Dramatic Society's Production of Noël Coward's Private Lives.
Would Coward's "intimate comedy" comedy from 1930 have any relevance to the theatre-going public of Sudbury in 2007? I need not have worried! I was in safe hands with SDS and director Shawn Peart.
Peart's staging of the production evokes the era perfectly. Costume, set and music whisk you away to the romantic art deco era. The cast capture the physical and vocal mannerisms of the period with ease. Peart's direction is accomplished and excels particularly in the well choreographed fight and the awkwardness of the hilarious breakfast towards the end of the play.
Christopher Longman and Malindi Freeman as Elyot and Amanda rattled their way through Coward's witticisms to the delight of the audience, causing more than the odd chuckle. Longman's command of the audience was perfect.
They waited with rapturous anticipation for the next sardonic witticism. Freeman's Amanda was suitably elegant, sophisticated and petulant all at the same time which was no mean feat. Both Longman and Freeman get to show of their accomplished skills as singers and dancers showing a warmth and vulnerability to the characters only glimpsed elsewhere in the play.
Paul Vella and Aggie Pettengall play the difficult parts of Victor and Sybil, the warring couple's unlucky new spouses. The stuffy and old-fashioned Sybil and Victor are the perfect contrast to the fashionable and modern Elyot and Amanda. Magaret Rawles plays the cameo role of the French maid Louise with hilarious disdain for her unconventional English masters.
As Peart reminds us in his programme notes Private Lives is a play about human relationships. Elyot and Amanda can't live without each other, neither can they live with each other. These themes make the play as relevant as ever and give us an indication of why Coward was known as the 'Master'. I don't know if Coward plays are fashionable or not at the moment but that didn't seem to bother a delighted full house on opening night.
Continues tonight and tomorrow. Call 01787 374475 or email
boxoffice@quaytheatre.org.ukVernon Pilgrim
