EMA Review: Private Lives **** Scrumptious

Classic Manners

By Paul Atreides

Author, Playwright, and Theatre Critic at EatMoreArtVegas.compaul-atreides.com  

Las Vegas Little Theatre (LVLT) opened its 49^th season with the Noël Coward comedy classic Private Lives to a full house. Written and originally performed in September 1930 (London), it opened on Broadway in January 1931. Described as a “comedy of manners,” the play entered the public domain in January of this year.

It centers on a divorced couple who discover they’re on honeymoons in the same hotel, in adjoining terraces, with new spouses. They’ve had quite the tumultuous relationship, but the attraction is still there – perhaps stronger than ever.

Mickey Roark as Elyot, Saffron Mazzia as Amanda, Sabrina Close as Sibyl, and Louis DeSalvio as Victor all bring the sophisticated British air of money and breeding in Act One. It’s Act Two that brings the fireworks and the brisk pacing needed to pull this off.

As Chris Davies directs, this production does just that. The timing works as Roark and Mazzia really find their footing, delivering lines that sting with excellent timing. In Act Three, when their spouses catch up to them in Paris, Close and DeSalvio do their best with the characters Coward has written. It’s a tough assignment and they are to be commended.

By his own admission, Sibyl and Victor are “extra puppets, lightly wooden nine-pins” strictly there to look good; to be attractive enough to have landed Amanda and Elyot. It’s in the final bit at the end of the play where Close and DeSalvio prove their mettle.

The fight scene between Elyot and Amanda may come off a bit cringey in today’s societal atmosphere. But remember, this was written and takes place in 1930, and it's handled with just the right amount of fun. After all, this is a comedy of its time.

Any failings come from Close and Mazzia, who both tend to trail off at the end of their lines. The volume drops so low that dialogue doesn’t reach the back row and the joke gets lost. Usually not an issue during rehearsals, the problem comes from a full house absorbing the sound.

Ron Lindblom’s set for the Paris apartment is lit with a chandelier and wall sconces by Ginny Adams, and done in an era-appropriate soft pastel.

Noël Coward wrote some of the theatre’s most beloved plays, which have become classics. His wit, pacing, and way with a line of dialogue have influenced writers like Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, and Broadway’s wonderkind Sandy Rustin, whose Clue: On Stage opens next on the LVLT mainstage.

What makes a play a classic? Here’s your chance to find out.

Fun fact, or Easter Egg: Watch the film Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale for a Noël Coward reference that should give you a good chuckle.

What: Private Lives

When: 7 p.m. Friday - Saturday

            2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through September 20

Where: Las Vegas Little Theatre - Mainstage, 3920 Schiff Drive

Tickets: $20* - $38 (702-362-7996; www.lvlt.org)

*Students under 18 – Must call during Box Office hours

Grade:  **** Scrumptious

Producer: Las Vegas Little Theatre; Director: Chris Davies; Set Design: Ron Lindblom; Lighting Design: Ginny Adams; Costume Design: Julie Horton, Bailey Parcells; Stage Manager: Mena Miskowic