‘Present Laughter’ review: Kevin Kline shines bright on stage
7 / 10
With all due respect to Noel Coward's classic English comedies of the 1920s through 1940s, do they really merit being revived so regularly? Sure, they're witty, classy and charming, but also insubstantial and tame by today's standards, and not especially relevant anymore. I suspect that we run into the plays so often because they contain great roles for actors, like the kooky medium Madame Arcati in 'Blithe Spirit,' the sparring couple Amanda and Elyot in 'Private Lives' and the vain stage actor Garry Essendine in 'Present Laughter.'
