Present Laughter – Review – Grand Opera House, York
By Roger Crow, October 2026
As much as I love Noël Coward, the plot of his 1939 play Present Laughter was a new one on me. The original version followed Garry Essendine, a successful, self-absorbed actor whose London home became a battleground of romantic complications. As he prepared for a tour of Africa, Garry had to contend with an infatuated young admirer, an intrusive aspiring playwright, and an affair that threatened his close circle of friends.
His secretary, Monica, and estranged wife, Liz, tried to manage the mounting chaos as he grappled with middle age and his constant need for admiration. Originally staged at the Grand Theatre, Blackpool in 1942, Coward directed and played Essendine.
For the 2026 version, the gender-flipped central protagonist has become Geri, a glamorous actress whose tangled private life threatens to overshadow her theatrical success.
“Withering put downs”
Tracy-Ann Oberman is a delight as Geri, a whirling dervish of seductive chaos living in 1970s New York. That set is splendid with its white-washed brick walls, though that strobing black and white carpet will have to go. Once or twice it felt like one of those magic eye paintings which were all the rage in 1995. Maybe that’s the point; it embodies Geri’s headache-inducing lifestyle, a series of one night-stands with infatuated admirers, inbetween drink, drugs and reflecting on past glories.
Preparing to leave for an Australian tour, Geri also faces a succession of unwelcome complications as admirers, would-be lovers, her estranged husband and an obsessive young playwright demand her attention.
Her long-suffering secretary, Monty, attempts to contain the chaos as romantic entanglements and bruised egos collide. James Dreyfus has long been one of Blighty’s finest comedy actors, whether in sitcom The Thin Blue Line or Notting Hill, and here he’s a delight, dispensing withering put downs and delicious soundbites. His comic timing is second to none, especially when Monty drops a delicious one liner and exits to his office.
It’s also good to see Adrian Lukis as Geri’s estranged spouse. I suddenly wonder where the last 25 years have gone since we had a chat at the press launch for long forgotten 2001 drama The Hunt.
“Verbal sparring”
So, a splendid cast, especially Ms Oberman who shines like a supernova, and looks like a woman half her age, especially when sashaying around the stage. Alas the play is far too long, despite the players often delivering their word-perfect lines without a beat for their verbal sparring partners to think of a reaction. Yes, it’s been very well rehearsed, but occasionally a comic pause works wonders, which may be one of the reasons Monty’s ‘Alan Rickmanesque’ delivery is so terrific.
At almost three hours, thank heavens for comfy seats at Grand Opera House, which put at least one West End theatre to shame (top tip: take a cushion if you’re off to see the London stage version of Moulin Rouge!).
With solid support from the likes of Richenda Carey as Lady Saltburn, Seb Carrington as David Stillington and Eva Feiler as Rosina Maule, I’d quite happily see a tighter version of Present Laughter, but on a rain-lashed autumnal night, it brightens the evening a treat.
Present Laughter is at York Grand Opera House until 10th October
images: Simon Annand
Adopted Yorkshireman Roger Crow developed a passion for film and TV in the 1970s and 1980s. He has been a published film and TV reviewer since the 1990s; a world travel and restaurant critic since the noughties, and for the past decade has assessed the pros and cons of live gigs and theatre productions around the UK. His ideal day would involve reviewing a performance of Bat Out of Hell, followed by a Pad Thai while being serenaded by Texas on a cruise around Europe.
crowsfeat.com; nostalgiahhh film podcast
