Noel Coward’s Private Lives has come to Lighthouse, Poole with the Nigel Havers Theatre Company and went along to see the production with Nigel Havers and Patricia Hodges with great excitement.
The show is a 1930s Noel Coward production about Elyot and Amanda who were both briefly married to each other five years previous and now are both honeymooning with their younger spouses in France, and low and behold are in adjacent hotel rooms.
They meet on the balcony of the hotel having both been quizzed about married life by their new partners who are keen to establish that they are more in love, happier with them than they were in their first marriage. The puns and play on words are clever and had the audience laughing out loud. The chemistry between Nigel Havers (Elyot) and Patricia Hodge (Amanda) is palpable when they meet on the balcony and share a cocktail together.
The second act follows Amanda and Elyot’s fleeing to a Parisienne flat where they spend time together holding up their end of their pact that they will not squabble, and the timeout phrase is Sollocks, a contraction of Solomon and Isaacs. Eventually, their new spouses catch up with them and stake their claims, which promotes much hilarity, and Amanda and Elyot are last seen slinking out with their suitcases as a new younger version of them fight each other.
The play does have moments when Elyot hits Amanda and Amanda breaks a gramophone record over his head, the responses of the audience perhaps represent the age of the piece, however, generally, the play is as relevant and funny today as it would have been 92 years ago.
This is an excellent production that is slick and well-cast, the set was clean and elegant showing the refined delights of a French hotel, and the coziness of a Parisienne flat.
Private Lives played to a very full house in Poole on a Tuesday evening, and received lots of laughs and applause, so, if you want a timeless classic evening’s entertainment then this is brilliant production to watch.
Private Lives plays at Lighthouse, Poole until 19th March before continuing on its nationwide tour.
Private Lives
Summary
A classic play with five superb performances, particularly from the impressive Nigel Havers and Patricia Hodge. A brilliant night out at the theatre.
