Present Laughter at Net Friends Theatre at the Durham Arts Council

Garry Essendine, world renowned actor, is preparing for a theatrical tour to Africa to distract himself from impending middle age. But in the weeks before the tour is to begin, he is beset by a series of fans and admirers – an unhinged young playwright, a besotted society starlet, and his manager’s seductive wife – who are determined to take his spotlight. One crisis leads into another as his quirky entourage try to keep him focused and the business in order – and a secret affair, once exposed, might tear apart his closely-knit family of friends. Snappy dialog, over-the-top characters, and surprise revelations abound in this classic British farce by Noel Coward, reimagined with a diverse cast and set amid the heyday of the black theater movement of the 1940s.