Reviewed by Judy Richter
Couples who love each other
passionately but who fight just as passionately have a long theatrical
tradition. Shakespeare gave us his best example with Beatrice and Benedick, while Kate and
Petruchio weren't far behind -- until he supposedly tamed her, and even then we
can't be sure that he did. Radio gave us the Bickersons in the mid-'40s. And Noël
Coward gave us
Amanda and Elyot in the '30s.
We
meet them in California Shakespeare Theater's sparkling presentation of
"Private Lives," adroitly directed by Mark Rucker. Played by Stephen Barker
Turner and Diana
Lamar, Elyot and
Amanda have married new spouses five years after divorce ended their rancorous
marriage. By coincidence, the two honeymooning couples have gone to the same
hotel, where Elyot and Amanda encounter each other on their adjoining
balconies. It seems both have traded the tumult of their relationship for
calmer, more sedate marriages to younger people -- he to Sibyl (Sarah Nealis) and she to Victor (Jud
Williford). It
doesn't take long for them to realize the spark of love still burns bright, so
they run off together to Paris that very night. Despite their best efforts to
control their tempers, though, it also doesn't take long for them to launch
into full battle mode -- albeit punctuated by romantic interludes.
The
four actors easily navigate Coward's witty script. Turner and Lamar make Elyot
and Amanda's sharp mood swings both believable and humorous -- all loving one
minute and fiercely fighting the next. Nealis and Williford capture the love
they feel for their characters' mates and their frustration at realizing
they'll never measure up. The cast is completed by Liam Vincent as the French-speaking servant,
Louis.
The
actors seemed undaunted by the weather on opening night, when rain fell for
about 20 minutes at the start of Act 1 and a gorgeous double rainbow competed
with them and Katherine Roth's elegant costumes for the audience's attention. Nor did
they appear more than momentarily startled in Act 3, when a gust of wind blew open
a section of the set (designed by Annie Smart with lighting by Scott
Zielinski)
serving as the door to the Paris apartment. Jeff Mockus' sound design included music
from the time, including a recording of Coward himself singing "Someday
I'll Find You,"
a song that has romantic meaning for Elyot and Amanda.
Despite
the natural elements, all of the theatrical elements add up to a most enjoyable
evening of theater.
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