Matthew MacFayden and Kim Cattrall lead a brilliantly acted production of Noel Coward's Private Lives at Vaudeville Theatre.
Lisa Dillon appears on a balcony looking like a mini-Kim Cattrall. She's squealing “Ely!!” like “a completely feminine little creature” as her new husband Matthew Macfayden describes her. In fact she's horribly priggish and irritating, and shows a great awareness of the physical component to her comedy as she expertly portrays Elyot's annoying new wife, Cattrall's replacement no less. The success of Richard Eyre's production of Noel Coward's 1930s romantic comedy lies in knowing, savvy acting like this.
It's an uncomplicated play with only two sets, little character development but loaded with droll dialogue. A divorced couple, Amanda and Elyot, on separate honeymoons with their new spouses Sybil (Dillon) and Victor (Simon Paisley Day) decide they are in fact soulmates and run away together. They dwell for a while in a booze-sprinkled hedonistic existence at Amanda's flat in Paris where they idle away their time being randy and argumental in satin pyjamas.
Much of the comedy lies in the fact that the characters are completely hilariously childish. Macfayden's Elyot is a spoilt, brutish misogynist, thrilled by Cattrall's frank, wayward Amanda. But don't expect much depth: this is light-hearted, farcial affair, studded with haw haw humour, that's nicely complimented by Simon Paisley Day's Victor, who brings a brilliant Basil Faulty quality to the show.
Matthew Macfayden is the man to be matched in his aloof delivery of blithe, cutting comments regardless of propriety. To her credit, Kim Catrrall does a great job of winning over the crowd: from her first striking appearance in nothing but a towel looking like “a lovely advertisement for something” to her waxing philosophical about moral confusion and breaking gramophone records over Elyot's head.
And though Coward's script places Sybil and Victor as mere rejected pawns in the cool kids' game of lust and abandonment, Lisa Dillon and Simon Paisley Day raise the bar, and make the characters their own so much so that you miss them a bit when they're not around.
The stars are fortunate to be supported by a set design that is both simple and striking: particularly Amanda's flat which is decked out like a Tom and Jerry wet dream steeped in potential for injury and disaster. Definitely one to see if you're a fan of Coward or any of this superb cast.
Photo Credit: Nobby Clark/ Tristram Kenton
Private Lives runs at Vaudeville Theatre until 1st May 2010
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