After a couple of rabble-rousing, politically-bent productions, Petaluma’s Mercury Theater shifts to British comedy with their production of Noël Coward’s Private Lives. The Michael Fontaine-directed production runs through March 21.
This play, written in 1930, has served as a vehicle for some of the top performers of the past century, including Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, whose well-known public lives served the story of a bickering divorced couple well.
The French seaside resort honeymoon of Sybil (Katherine Rupers) and Elyot (Lukas Raphael) Chase is off to an inauspicious start, as Sybil seems to be fixated on the subject of Elyot’s ex-wife. Little does she know that the suite next door is occupied by that ex, Amanda Prynne (Ilana Niernberger), who’s on her honeymoon with her new husband, Victor (Zane Walters). Conveniently, Victor seems to be as obsessed with Elyot as Sybil is with Amanda. With a shared terrace between the two suites, it’s just a matter of time before the exes meet.
When they do, they’re desperate to get their partners to agree to leave. They won’t, so they do. They’re off to Amanda’s Parisian apartment where Elyot and Amanda rekindled the passion they once had for each other and the loathing that led to the dissolution of their marriage.
Fontaine has a solid cast at work here, with Raphael and Niernberger well-matched as the ill-fated couple. Rupers gets laughs as the histrionic-prone Sybil, while Walters gives no indication he was a late-in-rehearsal replacement in the role. All serve the work by dialect coach John Craven and fight choreographer Kevin Bordi well.
Adrianna Gutierrez’s costumes were eye candy, and Wayne Hovey’s set gave a real sense of depth to the limited space.
While the wit of Noël Coward shines through in some of the dialogue, there’s a nastiness that’s present that makes the comedy somewhat difficult to swallow by the show’s end. The fact that Elyot physically abused Amanda is somewhat tossed off as an aside in the first act, but the third act “climax” is them beating the hell out of each other. It’s played for comedy, but the sound of Elyot slapping Amanda in the face was quite jarring.
And while Amanda’s giving Elyot as good as he’s given her was cheered on by some in the audience, I found the alcohol-fueled battle more distressing than comedic. It’s tough to reconcile spousal abuse with comedy.
Despite all the fine work being done on the Mercury Theater stage, Private Lives just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Mercury Theater presents ‘Private Lives’ through March 21 at 3333 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. Thur–Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 2pm. $20–$35. 707.658.9019. mercurytheater.org.
