Present Laughter stars Andrew Scott in Noel Coward's 1943 comedy which was originally called Sweet Sorrow in the Old Vic. Scott portrays Garry Essendine, the famous actor who is the central character in this play. This is an extremely funny play throughout and portrays the chaotic lives of pop stars. We hear about the life pop stars live, through the highs and lows but we never consider the effect this lifestyle has. What Present Laughter does is make us think that this lifestyle is a form of trauma which is partly self-inflicted and partly inflicted by others.
Scott's portrayal of Gary is full of energy, charming and sarcastic which leads to most of the humour of this play. Gary is a 40-year-old actor who at times could be seen as a child especially as when we first meet him, he is woken up and emerges wearing a pirate eyepatch and waistcoat. Scott's performance is faultless and it is extremely entertaining to watch in particular Gary's theatrical outbursts to keep people at bay while also pouting and peacocking around to ward off unwanted lovers, playwrights and to protect his small circle of friends who are essential to his own wellbeing. There is a joy in watching Scott's interpretation of Garry's boyish vanity. He is constantly being accused of overacting, as a result he beats his face as if he knows he may be guilty of that accusation. Whenever someone mentions Peer Gynt, a part Gary was prevented from playing by his team/friends, Scott's performance is hilarious by acting like a child having a mini tantrum.
Along with all of this, Scott has great chemistry with all members of the ensemble but one of the funniest encounters is between Gary and the playwright from Uckfield, Roland Mule, played by Luke Thallon. Whenever Roland comes on the stage, we know we are guaranteed a great laugh. A moment in particular which summarises Gary and Roland's relationship is when they first meet. Gary manages to prise his hand away from Roland's tight grip, he plunges his hand into a beaker of water. This one moment summarises their relationship well, as Roland is obsessed with Gary and just wants to be near him and Gary just wants Roland to leave him alone.
There are clear differences with this portrayal and the original production. The main difference is the threat that causes upset, in the original Gary sleeps with Joanna but in this production, Joanna has become Joe, played by Enzo Cilenti. Joe causes all the upset by having an affair with Morris and Gary behind Helen (his wife, who has also been having an affair with a woman for almost a year) back. Cilenti puts on a good performance, it appears that this character is very complex yet while watching there is an air of to not trust this character.
Gary is seen to have many lovers including Joe and we meet one at the beginning of the play, Daphne Stillington (played by Kitty Archer). Daphne is another character who just wants to be with Gary and is in love with him. However, even with all these lovers, Gary still has a wife. Liz played by Indira Varma puts on a fantastic portrayal as Gary's separated wife. Scott and Varma together have great chemistry and the ending moments show how well these two work together.
Sophie Thompson played Monica Reed who is Gary's devoted secretary. Along with being his secretary, as the play carries on we see she is much more than that, she is also a very devoted maternal figure towards Gary. Thompson adds a lot of energy and one-liners to this production. We get to see another side to Gary when Monica is around, he can be a bit more vulnerable with her and this is mostly likely because they have worked together for so long. Another character who works for Gary apart from Monica is Fred, played by Joshua Hill. Fred is Gary's valet; he might not have the most lines but his reactions are priceless and makes scenes so much funnier.
At the heart of this play is Gary, a man who is struggling. He has many people around him but at the same time he feels lonely. This is a pure comedy play, there is laugh after laugh. Scott's performance is outstanding and mesmerising. Even when we have moments of silence, it is just a joy to watch. The set is simple yet works so well. The music is a joy to listen to and the cast are amazing. Present Laughter is a great play and if you get a chance to see it, you'll love every second!
