This June, Pitlochry Festival Theatre is set to stage for the first time in over 30 years; a glittering new production of one of the greatest comedies ever written – Noël Coward’s Private Lives.
Previously performed at Pitlochry Festival Theatre in 1960, 1978 and 1989, Private Lives is directed by the Theatre’s Associate Director Amy Liptrott and runs at the picturesque Perthshire theatre from 17 June – 30 September.
Coward’s classic comedy of manners follows Elyot Chase and his second wife, Sibyl, honeymooning on the French Riviera when he discovers that his first wife, Amanda Prynne, and her second husband, Victor, have the room next to theirs. Their initial horror disappears as, within no time at all, they’re sharing cocktails, a romantic serenade and rekindling their previous passion.
Caring nothing for scandal, they elope to Amanda’s Paris flat where their lust thaws as quickly as it had reignited, and they resume the slanging match which drove them apart in the first place.
Written in only three days, Private Lives, remains Coward’s greatest success and the play that marked the peak of his career. First performed on 18 August 1930 at the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh, as part of the Edinburgh International Festival, featuring Noël Coward and Laurence Olivier in the cast, Private Lives is a masterpiece of 1930s high comedy, full of razor-sharp wit and sparkling dialogue, and remains one of the most sophisticated, entertaining plays ever written, offering an evening of acutely sharp, divinely decadent, and unashamed humour.
Over the years the play has been performed worldwide attracting a stellar line up of talent including Richard Burton, Alan Rickman, Elizabeth Taylor, Maggie Smith, Kim Cattrall, Penelope Keith and Lindsay Duncan.
Private Lives cast will feature Tom Richardson (The Prince and the Pauper, New Vic Theatre) and Nalân Burgess (Welcome to Iran, Royal National Theatre and Theatre Royal Stratford East) as Elyot and Sibyl Chase; Marc Small (Barefoot in the Park, Pitlochry Festival Theatre) and Amelia Donkor (As You Like It and The Taming of the Shrew, Royal Shakespeare Company and Eastenders, BBC) as Victor and Amanda Prynne; and Deirdre Davis (Eileen Donachie in River City, BBC Scotland and the films Orphans and Get Duked) as Louise.
Private Lives is designed by Ken Harrison, lighting design by Wayne Dowdeswell, sound design by Matthew Tomlinson and fIght direction by EmmaClaire Brightlyn.
Director Amy Liptrott said: “I’m excited to be directing Private Lives after a two-year hiatus! For me, this play is about what happens when you remove the romance of structured and conventional expressions of love like a wedding. It’s love in the light of day, the day after a wedding – with a hangover. It’s seeing and dealing with the reality of a lifetime not just a moment in time. It’s the monotonous ploughing on and forgiving and embracing the whole rather than the bits that are just polished for show. Amanda and Victor, and Elyot and Sybil and Louise are such brilliant and loveable characters. I’m looking forward to getting into rehearsals with a fantastic cast and exploring what it means to be in love!”
Private Lives runs at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 17 June – 30 September. Tickets are available from the box office on 01796 484626 or online at pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com
