Present Laughter

The aim of Restoration comedies of manners - to make the real seem artificial and the artificial seem real - makes a helpful starting point for work on Noel Coward's plays. The world he presents in 'Present Laughter' is a barely disguised portrait of the world the playwright inhabits, or rather a heightened version of it to titillate and amuse his audience. 'Present Laughter' was first performed on the eve of the Second World War and given its West End debut at the height of the conflict, but contemporary events playing no part in it. For a couple of hours the audience are diverted by the characters, the intrigue, the sexual jealousies and the dialogue which all confirm Coward's self-proclaimed "talent to amuse". Gareth Armstrong