Present Laughter
By Noël Coward

Chichester Festival Theatre
Tickets: 01243 781312 www.cft.org.uk

Photo credit: Johan Persson

Actor Garry Essendine’s clique is a tightly-knitted motley crew. From the wife he has never got around to divorcing to his feisty PA, also in the mix is a brace of  philandering producers, an eccentric hobbling housekeeper and a valet with a penchant for strippers. Enter a love-struck ingenue, a bored wife hell-bent on seduction and an intense young writer and the stage is set for chaos.

Incapable of so much as breathing without turning it into a full-on performance, Garry is played by Rufus Hound. An exhausting role that makes light and shade a tall order, all credit to Hound for stamina and for (mostly) achieving the gear changes.

The cast meld with easy fluidity and the physical comedy is especially well choreographed and executed.Tracy-Ann Oberman as the long-suffering assistant Monica is excellent – a one-woman masterclass in comic timing – and Katherine Kingsley as not-quite-ex-wife Liz is also superb. Exuding elegance and as sharp as a whip, she stage manages proceedings with an air of being thoroughly entertained by the  ensuing drama and nonsense.

But while there are plenty of examples of Coward’s wit and his brilliance for turning a phrase, the humour is too often laboured and repetitive – self-indulgent, even. There is a lack of sophistication and Sean Foley’s production would benefit from dialing down the panto slapstick in favour of greater subtlety.

That said, for undemanding entertainment and sheer glamour (Alice Power’s gorgeous set is a scene-stealer in its own right) Present Laughter slips down as easily as an iced G&T, complete with the bonus of a musical finale.

Until 12 May

Vicky Edwards