Independent Players to stage Noel Coward's 'sublime comedy of manners' in Elgin

Matinee stars, affairs both amorous and numerous — what is a man to do?

Find out when Independent Players presents Noel Coward's comedy “Present Laughter” at the Elgin Art Showcase, Fridays and Saturdays, March 1-16. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m., and tickets cost $10-$15.

The play is directed by Don Haefliger, Independent Players' artistic director.

“As a director, I have a very strong affection for Noel Coward because he consistently writes some of the best humorous scenes in all of dramatic literature,” Haefliger said. “‘Present Laughter' is a perfect example of this. Coward wrote this play in 1939 when England was first experiencing the horrors of World War II; his sole aim was to bring humor to an otherwise very serious society. This play consists of a literal barrage of humorous scenes, one after another.”

Based on a song in Shakespeare's “Twelfth Night” in which the Bard proclaims “present mirth hath present laughter,” the title suggests that one should “live for the day,” which is exactly what the characters in Coward's play do.

At the center of his own universe sits the suave, debonair and hedonistic matinee idol Garry Essendine, played by Gabor Mark. As the play opens, he finds himself visited by a young admirer, who convinces him to allow her to stay the night. The next day, he convinces her to leave, but his ex-wife, with whom he is still in contact, suspects that his manager is having an affair with the wife of his producer.

When they are trying to discuss that situation, a young playwright arrives eager for Garry's critique of his new play. Garry gets rid of him, and later questions his manager as to whether he has had said affair with his producer's wife, which he, of course, denies, and Garry informs his ex-wife of all the details.

The woman in question, of course, shows up at Garry's house later and “seduces” him. When his ex-wife finds out, she tries to blackmail the seductress, but the playwright returns to talk to Garry again. Then the aunt of an aspiring actress, who was promised an audition for her niece, arrives with her niece who just happens to be the young admirer.

Garry is scheduled for a tour playing theaters in Africa, so the young admirer, the young playwright, the seductress and the ex-wife arrive to inform him that they, too, bought tickets for the same tour. His manager and producer arrive to deride Garry for having an affair with the seductress, but he reveals his knowledge of their own sexual escapades which prompts the seductress to leave. Garry and his ex-wife decide to get back together again, so they sneak out leaving the young admirer and the young playwright locked in adjacent rooms.

Just when Garry is planning to escape on a touring commitment in Africa, the full extent of his misdemeanors is discovered. Amid a series of events which borders on farce, Garry must deal with women who want him for themselves, placate both his long-suffering secretary and his estranged wife, cope with a crazed young playwright and overcome his impending midlife crisis. As in many of Coward's plays, in the end, the central character is able to literally leave all the chaos behind and sail off into the sunset unscathed.

“It is rewarding — and also challenging — to play a role of this caliber,” Mark said. “The role was written by Coward for himself, so I am trying to see it through his eyes. My guess is that, at 40, he sees himself going through a midlife crisis, so in the ‘manufactured' and dysfunctional world in which he resides, Garry has to deal with all the issues of the people in his life and get through it unscathed. Therein lies the challenge, but I am having the time of my life doing it.”

Other cast members include Steve Connell, Elizabeth Dawson, Madeline Franklin, Blase Horn, Jonathan Horn, Dave Hudson, Beth McDonald, Nicole Netsen, Lori Rohr and Dana Udelhoven.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.independentplayers.org, as well as at the door prior to each performance. For information and reservations, call (847) 697-7374.

"Present Laughter"

What: Independent Players' production of Noel Coward's comedy

When: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, March 1-2, 8-9 and 15-16

Where: Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., eighth floor, Elgin

Tickets: $15; $12 for seniors and $10 for students; purchase at <a href="http://www.independentplayers.org">www.independentplayers.org</a> or at the door. For details, call (847) 697-7374.