Tickets are now available for the Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of Noel Coward’s classic comedy, Present Laughter. Directed by Nicholas Martin, the production begins performances at Broadway’s American Airlines Theatre on January 2, 2010. Opening night is set for January 21.
In Present Laughter, Victor Garber stars as Garry Essendine, a London matinee idol juggling a lovestruck ingénue, an adulterous producer, a married seductress, his own estranged wife and a crazed young playwright. Just before Garry escapes on a planned trip to Africa, the full extent of his misdemeanors is discovered and all hell breaks loose.
In addition to Garber, Present Laughter stars Harriet Harris as Monica Reed, Brooks Ashmanskas as Roland Maule, Lisa Banes as Liz Essendine, Nancy E. Carroll as Miss Erickson, Alice Duffy as Lady Saltburn, Holley Fain as Daphne Stillington, Pamela Jane Gray as Joanna Lypiatt, James Joseph O’Neil as Fred, Richard Poe as Henry Lypiatt and Marc Vietor as Morris Dixon.
The production features scenic design by Alexander Dodge, costume design by Jane Greenwood, lighting design by Rui Rita and sound design by Drew Levy.
Present Laughter debuted on Broadway in 1946 with Clifton Webb as Garry Essendine. Coward himself played the part in a six-performance Broadway run in 1958, and George C. Scott starred in a 1982 Broadway revival. The play was most recently revived on Broadway in 1996 with Frank Langella in the leading role.