PRESENT LAUGHTER's Kevin Kline Wins 2017 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Kevin Kline has won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for Present Laughter. This marks Kline's fourth Tony nomination and third win. He has previously won the Tony for 1981's PIRATES OF PENZANCE and 1978's ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. He was also nominated for 2004's HENRY IV. Below, BWW's Richie Ridge speaks with the company of Present Laughter.

Broadway credits include Henry IV, The Pirates Of Penzance, Ivanov, Arms And The Man, Loose Ends, On The Twentieth Century, The Three Sisters (The Acting Company) Off B'way: Hamlet (also dir.), The Seagull, Much Ado About Nothing, Richard III, Henry V, Romeo And Juliet, Peer Gynt, The Lost Cavalier. Film: Sophie's Choice, Dave, A Fish Called Wanda, In And Out, The Big Chill, Silverado, I Love You To Death, French Kiss, Grand Canyon, Darling Companion, The Ice Storm, Soapdish, As You Like It, The Emperor's Club, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Queen To Play, Life As A House, DeLovely, My Old Lady, Last Vegas, The Extra Man. TV: "Saturday Night Live," "The New Show."

Noel Coward's totally-irresistible comedy, Present Laughter, follows a self-obsessed actor (is there any other kind?) in the midst of a mid-life crisis. Freely indulging his considerable appetite for wine, women and sleeping late (not necessarily in that order), the theatre's favorite leading man suddenly finds himself caught between fawning ingenues, crazed playwrights, secret trysts and unexpected twists.

Present Laughter first premiered on Broadway at the Plymouth Theatre in 1946, following an immensely successful wartime tour starring Coward himself. One of his most produced and beloved works, Present Laughter has come to define Coward's singular comedic voice for generations of theatergoers. In addition to Coward, some of the world's most accomplished stage actors, including the likes of Albert Finney, Peter O'Toole, and Ian McKellen, have played the lead role.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos