“Private Lives,” A Perfect Ending to a Perfect Theatrical Season

After spending the last few months listening to The Noël Coward BBC Radio Collection of plays, which included many of his big hits, such as: ”Blythe Spirit,” “Hay Fever,” “Still Life,” and “Design for Living," I was thrilled to learn that the Hampton Theatre Company was ending their award-worthy 2018-2019 season with “Private Lives.” This crowd-pleasing, screwball comedy, which Coward penned in less than a week, can be seen at the Quogue Community Hall now until June 9th.

“Private Lives” is a 1930, three-act, romantic comedy set in France. Under George A. Loizides apt direction this classic comedy, about the foibles of French high society, truly came to life. Modern audiences will be pleasantly surprise to learn just how contemporary this play still sounds and feels.

The action revolves around a divorced couple, Amanda and Elyot, who are honeymooning with their new spouses. As fate would have it, they’re booked in adjacent hotel rooms with side-by-side balconies.

When Amanda and Elyot were married, they had a toxic and tumultuous relationship, but running into each other after five years of separation stirs up old feelings, and the intense chemistry between them is just too much for either one of them to resist.

The two sets used in this production, the hotel balcony and a Paris apartment, were artfully designed by Sean Marbury. Diana Marbury’s set decor is truly amazing, which added to the overall believability of this play. The lighting design by Sebastian Paczynski is exceptional, especially the scene where the morning sunlight pours through the Paris apartment window.

The entire cast is fabulous. Andrew Botsford plays Elyot Chase, a jaded, sarcastic, and a times, mean-spirited man, whose love and passion for his ex-wife could very well prove to be the death of him. Mr. Botsford brings immense wit and charisma to this role, and with his natural charm reminded me of one of the legendary Old Hollywood actors, who we still love to watch on Turner Classics Movies.

Rosemary Cline is brilliant as Amanda Prynne, and she looked stunning in the amazing, 1930 outfits designed by Teresa Lebrun. Cline and Botsford have a natural onstage chemistry, which magnetized the audience. The fight scenes, particularly the hard-to-watch violent ones, between Amanda and Elyot, were well played, well staged, and painfully convincing.

Matthew Conlon, as Victor, the jilted husband, got some of the best laughs in the play. He exhibits a great sense of comedic timing, and his expressive body language speaks volumes.

Rebecca Edana is very believable as Sibyl, the young, naive wife, who gets dumped by Elyot on her honeymoon. Ms. Edana knows how to make us laugh, and she knows how to get the audience to empathize with her as well.

Diana Marbury, as Louise, the befuddled maid in Amanda’s Paris flat, delivers her bits of French dialogue with such vivid facial expressions, body language, and gestures that we don’t need to know French to know what she’s thinking, and what she’s thinking isn’t good!

You don’t want to miss this witty, well-acted, wonderful comedy!

To reserve tickets, visit www.hamptontheatre.org, or call OvationTix at 1-866-811-4111.

Cindi Sansone-Braff is an award-winning playwright, and the author of two spiritual self-help books, “Grant Me a Higher Love,” and “Why Good People Can’t Leave Bad Relationships.” Her full-length romantic comedy, “Angel’s Mice and Men,” will have its world premiere at the Hudson Guild Theater as part of the NY Summerfest 2019 Theater Festival on July 30,31, and August 3. http://newyorktheaterfestival.com/angels-mice-and-men/