PRESENT LAUGHTER Previews

[BroadwayConcierge]

Previews for the fifth Broadway revival of Noël Coward's Present Laughter begin tomorrow night (Friday, March 10, 2017) at the St. James Theatre, starring Kevin Kline, Cobie Smulders, Kate Burton, and Kristine Nielsen! Opening night is set for April 5 for a limited run through July 2.

Who's going?!

[BroadwayConcierge]

Bumping for previews, which begin tonight!

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Is anyone going tonight?

[JustAnotherNewYorker]

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "Is anyone going tonight?

I'm there now (tdf tickets). I'm not sure I'll have much to say, never having seen it during its prior incarnations, but I'll try to write something later. 

[hellobroadway]

Any reviews from tonight?

[BroadwayLuv2]

Anyone win the lottery?  Where were the seats?  

Where were the TDF seats? 

[JustAnotherNewYorker]

BroadwayLuv2 said: "Anyone win the lottery?  Where were the seats?  

Where were the TDF seats? "

My TDF seats were side Mezz, about halfway up.

No deep thoughts on the show. I enjoyed it: I found the first act slow, but it gathered speed as it went along. Performances were all solid, set was fine (during slow portions of the play, i kept thinking that I wish I had an apartment like that). I liked it somewhat more than the other early/mid 20th century comedy I saw this season (the Front Page). I'm unlikely to see it a second time, but I'm glad I saw it.

 

Oh, and most of the cast stage doored, except for Kevin Klein.

[MadonnaMusical]

I was there as well and echo NewYorker's thoughts. First act was extremely slow with very few laughs but when Colbie Smulders walked on stage she lit the audience on fire. She was by far the stand out performance among a stage full of wonderful veterans. I hope she gets a Tony nomination and maybe even the win. The second act got the crowd laughing and I enjoyed the show very much in the end. It wasn't quite the singular experience I expected from Kevin Kline in this role, but nevertheless it was a good night of theatre. 

[nasty_khakis]

I agree, but didn't fine Colbie to be that stand out. I kept thinking someone like Nina Arianda would have a feast with that part while Colbie was just getting the on the page laughs. The audience did respond the best to her so I must be the odd man out.

Kristine Nielson is, as always, a comic genius and makes the most out of her part.

I think it was a solid first preview. Comedies like this only get better with audiences and I have a feeling everyone will grow and find new/bigger/funnier bits, especially Kline. I was expecting full blown Soap Dish/Wanda/Pirate King from him but he seemed very restrained and he didn't even seem to get to a "Fraiser" level of mania.

[dave1606]

I saw this tonight and have to say I was very unimpressed. 

I was totally disappointed with Kevin Kline. This was my first time seeing him on stage and he came off like a wet noodle to me. I kept casting other people in the roll the whole evening. (I was thinking how David Hyde Pierce or Kelsey Grammar would have fun in the role!). I can't tell if he was miscast or just uninterested in the part, but to me he seemed bored and underplayed the role the whole time. In fact he under-projected too, and audience members were having a hard time hearing him. The sound was off for most of the show, it seemed that there were a few static mics on the stage, that never quite picked up the actors the way you wanted them too.

My TDF seats were in the Mezz in row K (Two rows back from the Front Mezz). A decent view. 

For me the biggest standout was Kristine Neilsen. She continues to impress me even in smaller roles. She made the smallest bits such brilliant physical humor and had me howling on what normally might be a throway line.  Kate Burton was nice as well. I don't quite get the love for Colbie, she didn't standout for me at all. Some of the rest of the cast was really poor with the Bhavesh Patel as the playwright being downright awful. 

I think this show is over-revived. I wasn't super impressed with the roundabout revival from 2010, but I did love the set (For the record this revival's set doesn't nearly live up to that one). I just never quite think the show is as good as I want it to be. Just when it gets all revved up, the show ends in a whimper.  I hope we wait a little longer before the next revival. 

[RippedMan]

Why was this production even put together? It's in a huge house. Did it come from somewhere else?

[wonderfulwizard11]

Kline did a benefit reading of the play for The Acting Company in early 2016. He also co-directed that evening, which isn't happening now, and most of the cast is new but I'm sure that's where the genesis came from. 

[LightsOut90]

Kristine Neilsen is worth the ticket, she is just a genius, and manages to get a laugh off every line and gesture.