First Preview of Present Laughter?

I'm seeing the evening performance. I'll report back when I get home.

I saw the first preview this afternoon. It's not my favorite Coward play but this was a very solid production of it. I'm still drunk from New Years Eve and really not in the mood to write a review but I will say that it's in great shape for just starting today. If anyone has any questions about it, I'm happy to oblige, though.

Just got home from this evening's performance. Two hours and thirty minutes--two ten minute intermissions.

I often feel like a bit of a contrarian with shows in the American Airlines. I liked After Miss Julie quite a bit more than most. And I think I'm the only person who attended the entire run of The Philanthropist who left with a smile on my face. If that streak continues, then everyone may love Present Laughter which I thought was a snooze.

The trouble for me is that the whole show seemed to have the air let out of it and the central performances seemed to lack a real zip. The often marvelous Victor Garber gave a performance that felt very flat. Sure he's "theatrical," but in a rather stiff, one note way. I also adore Harriet Harris, but she doesn't seem to have been offered much in the way of direction. A line late in the show comparing her to a warship only made me think of how she could have played it, not how she had. The darling Brooks Ashmanskas overplays the hell out of his part which might have been frustrating if I wasn't so delighted that someone on stage seemed to actually be enjoying themselves.

The play did pick up some steam as it went. Act I felt entirely bloodless and quite a few folks in the mezzanine weren't back for Acts II and III. I even had to wake someone up to pass them on the way to the restroom. The second half of the second act is too absurd not to land a few solid laughs. And the third act was charming (and blissfully brief).

Lisa Jane Gray brought to mind Jayne Atkinson's performance in Blithe Spirit and was a real pleasure. Pamela Jane Gray brought a lovely sense of snark and sex appeal to the smallish role of Joanna.

And the set is fantastic as it often tends to be in the most disappointing Roundabout shows (Old Acquaintance, Les Liasons Dangereuses).

All in all, it felt underrehearsed and underdirected. Perhaps they'll come into their own as previews continue, but I didn't see a lot of cause for hope.

I thought Ashmankas was waaaaaaaay overdoing it and laid it on way too thick, BUT, at least he livened things up. He got my attention- my mind never wandered when he was onstage. His performance, however, will definitely be very divisive, and I predict a lot of people will HATE him.

Pamela Jane Gray probably gave the strongest performance of the evening, otherwise. She did call to mind Jayne Atkinson in Blithe Spirit, now that you mention it.

Did they do the Goodbye Song at the evening performance? That was the most awkward moment of the entire performance. People were getting up to leave, and then all of a sudden the cast gathers around the piano and starts softly singing. It was so weird. The audience was confused and didn't know what to do. People were already in the aisles, leaving. It either needs to be cut or restaged to be a lot more fluid.

Hey, let's not be too harsh. It was the first time the cast was performing in front of a live audience. In a few weeks this production will be top-notch.

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I thought the show was enjoyable and competently executed, but not all that exciting. The set was great with a lot of interesting details to look at. The Gary as Hamlet portrait was hysterical. I felt the same way during this show as I did during THE ROYAL FAMILY last fall. It's solid, but not spectacular.

ETA- I was also insane enough to attempt to stage door last night. I was on the street by 10:35 and the only person to come out by 11:15 was the actress who played Ms. Stillington (sorry I don't have my playbill handy). They must have had a ton of notes with the director or went out through the lobby. Either way, I'm still thawing out.

Updated On: 1/3/10 at 11:51 AM

I am not a fan of Noel Coward and was bored to tears by BLITHE SPIRIT so I may regret having bought a ticket to this, but I did. This will test my belief that I will go to see Victor Garber read the phone book, I guess.

If BLITHE SPIRIT bored you, than this may just test the very limits of what you find boring, unfortunately...

"The people who find the performance funny find it hilarious."

And the people who don't find it funny find it... what?

Personally, I found it unbearable.

More importantly, is it appropriate for the character or the play? I certainly didn't think so.

After Eight, I didn't think so either. I've never watched a play and during it thought, "I need to buy a copy of this script to see this character because this just isn't right!"

Saw it tonight and don't really feel like writing a full-on review.

Thought it was very so-so. The cast is mostly very strong; Ashmankas is headache inducing though...he was practically in a totally different show. Garber was a delight.

The set was gorgeous.

It's a very safe, very predictable production of a museum piece. If you're into that kinda stuff, you'll love it. If you loved BLITHE SPIRIT and THE ROYAL FAMILY, then see this show. The geriatric Roundabout subscribers will probably go apesh*t over it.

It's definitely nothing horrific but I don't think I'd see it again if the opportunity arose. The second act was easily the best...the first felt like it went on for days, and the third was intermittently sluggish.

** out of ****

I saw the show last night and I enjoyed it. Was it incredible? No. But it was good. While I agree that Ashmankas is playing over the top it is evident that is how the director wants it played, and while it was a shock at first I got used to it. And to the poster who commented that they felt he was in a different play, I think that was the point. You have a bunch of people who have been living the same kind of life for years and then you have the young girl, the young nutcase and the young wife. All three of these characters are out of place in the other characters' world and I believe the director wanted the audience to see that by making all 3 actors playing the outsiders give VERY different performances then the others.

I thought Garber was good, though not the best he could be. I also felt the pacing could be picked up a little bit. Noel Coward is not everybody's cup of tea and there will be some who will hate it just because of that, but it is good and, for the twenty-something crowd like me it is a chance to see an actor many admire on stage.

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