The Hudson Village Theatre to Present PRIVATE LIVES This August

The Hudson Village Theatre continues its Games We Play theme with Noel Coward's hilarious romp, Private Lives, playing August 10 to 28.

First staged in 1930, the sparkling, quick-tempo dialogue and deliciously wicked barbs haven't lost their punch eighty plus years later, though gender politics may have changed somewhat. To drive home that point, as well as add another comedic layer to the already razor-sharp humour, director Matthew Tiffin, HVT's Artistic Director, puts a 21st century spin on the master wit's 20th century comedic jewel by reversing the sex of all of the actors' roles.

ELYOT

It doesn't suit women to be promiscuous.

AMANDA

It doesn't suit men for women to be promiscuous.

Tiffin explains why he chose to direct this play by saying, "It's hard for me to think of reasons not to produce this play! Private Lives is a classic-Noel Coward's crowning achievement-a masterpiece of style and wit. The battle of the sexes is always fun theatrical fodder and by reversing the genders, fans of Hudson's annual pantomime will feel right at home. Every couple sees some aspect of themselves in these characters and Coward's genius transforms what would otherwise be an average sitcom into biting social satire."

This fast-paced, three-act comedy of manners has former couple, Elyot and Amanda, unwittingly book adjoining rooms at the same Côte d'Azur hotel to honeymoon with their new spouses, Sybil and Victor. Soon realizing they've made a pair of mistaken marriages, under the cover of night Elyot and Amanda hastily escape their unsuspecting partners. Several days later, the cuckolded twosome discovers the lovers in Amanda's Parisian pied-à-terre, plunging all four into a most compromising situation in which passions and hilarity mount exponentially. Coward's zingers play no favourites, holding the suave Amanda and Elyot up to ridicule as equally as he pokes fun at the more conventional Sybil and Victor, similarly taking pot shots at conventional attitudes about love and faith. Despite having leisure, wit, and money, Sibyl and Victor are trapped in conventional views of men and women while the carefree Amanda and Elyot, seemingly unrestricted by convention, are unable to find its replacement and however unsentimental they behave, their familiar quarrels reveal timeless themes.

AMANDA

Shall we always want to bicker and fight?

ELYOT

No, that desire will fade, along with our passion.

These iconic roles are brought to life by an ensemble featuring some of the brightest local artists. In her HVT debut, the versatile Stefanie Buxton plays the stodgy, rather conservative Victor Prynne, newly wedded to Amanda, a capricious jazz baby played by Brett Watson, who has previously strut the HVT boards, though not in high heels, in local playwright, Trevor Ferguson's, plays. Mary Harvey trades in her philandering news anchor role from Hudson's recent production of The Ladies Foursome for the urbane and sophisticated cad, Elyot Chase, Amanda's first husband who is about to embark on marriage number two with the naïve Sybil. David Noel, another new face to HVT, though an experienced actor working in film and television since he was fifteen, (Radio-Canada's Toi et Moi, 30 Vies, and La vie parfaite) channels the rather excitable young bride to perfection. Hudson Shakespeare fans will recognize, Rahul Gandhi, from last year's outdoor A Midsummer Night's Dream, in which the recent John Abbot graduate donned female attire to play Helena. In this play, the six-foot plus West Island resident is Louise, the Parisian maid simultaneously puzzled and exasperated with the curious carryings-on of this ridiculous bunch of Brits.

Amanda

I was brought up to believe it was beyond the pale for a man to strike a woman.

Elyot

A very poor tradition. Certain women should be struck regularly, like gongs.

Peter Vatsis returns to HVT to design the 1930s period set which, with subtle, clever use of colour, or lack thereof, is not only reminiscent of the era's black and white films but of the sleek, art deco style popular at the time. The 2015 META nominee for his haunting design of The Glass Menagerie last year, Peter will also be lighting this production. Costume designer, Elisabeth de Medeiros, has the envious task of recreating some of the century's most glamourous fashion trends, employing innovative tailoring tricks to amplify the characters' personalities or hidden desires. Another returning designer, Rob Denton, puts a Noel Coward sheen on contemporary music in his sound design, which audiences will find amusing once they start to recognize the decade from which the song list is created. The rip-roaring arguments between the couples warranTed Shawn Baichoo, one of Montreal's more in-demand fight coordinators to choreograph the more raucous scenes and Laura Grandfield comes to Hudson for the first time to stage manage.

After touring the British provinces, the play opened at London's new Phoenix Theatre in 1930, starring Noel Coward, Gertrude Lawrence, Adrianne Allen and Laurence Olivier. A Broadway production followed in 1931, and the play has been revived at least a half dozen times each in the West End and on Broadway. The role of Elyot has attracted a wide range of actors from Richard Burton to Alan Rickman while Amanda's successors include Tallulah Bankhead, Elizabeth Taylor, Maggie Smith, and Kim Cattrall. The play was made into a 1931 film and has been adapted several times for television and radio.

Hudson Village Theatre is cloated at 28 Wharf Road, J0P 1H0. Visit www.villagetheatre.ca for more information.

Pictured: David Noel, Stefanie Buxton. Bottom: Mary Harvey, Brett Watson. Photo by Michael Green Photography.

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