Private Lives

To see Richard Eyre's sparky production of Noel Coward's Private Lives at Bath's Theatre Royal last night. With Kim Cattrall (left) as Amanda and Matthew MacFadyen as Elyot, there is no shortage of glamour in this revival of the 1930 comedy which originally brought Coward and Gertrude Lawrence together in the lead roles. Amanda and Elyot have been divorced for five years, and find themselves both on honeymoon with new partners in Deauville, with serious and not entirely predictable, often comic and sometimes shocking consequences. The new Bath production enlivens every line of Coward's drama while Cattrall and MacFadyen are brilliant in the roles, though they are ably supported by Simon Paisley Day as stuffy Victor and Lisa Dillon as the romantic perfectionist Sybil. This is a great production of one of Coward's best plays, and should be a big hit when it transfers to the Vaudeville in London. It has had a rapturous reception in Bath.

This posting has been picked up by the Darcylicious/Matthew MacFadyen blog.

The Vortex

To see a superb performance by Felicity Kendal in Peter Hall's version of Noel Coward's first West End play, The Vortex, in Bath tonight. Hall's taut production sees Kendal (left) as the socialite Florence Lancaster, whose penchant for young lovers comes unstuck when her hedonistic son, Nicky, played by Dan Stevens, returns from France announcing his trial engagement to Bunty. The play's three acts move from a stilted homecoming through an increasingly fraught house party to a dark, but finally hopeful, reckoning between mother and son. Don't miss this excellent production, when it comes to the Apollo Theatre in London from February to June.