It is easy to be fooled by the witty lines and melodramatic plot if you only watch one play in Suite in Three Keys and mistake them for the style of the whole work. But it is the juxtaposition of different tones where similar themes develop that makes this complete revival of Noël Coward’s trilogy intriguing.
The audience can indulge in the caricaturistic depiction of an eloping scandal in Come into the Garden, Maud. The entertaining farce is transformed into a reflection on the consequences of eloping in Shadows of the Evening, where comedy is modulated by the intricacies of the evolving relationship between the husband, mistress and wife. Melancholy sneaks in with the shadow of death, which the hero faces together with the people he loves.
Under the comic cover, the double-bill searches for an inner truth within the characters’ lives. The truth manifests not only in the action of eloping as a result of questioning desire and need but also in the confession and reflection afterward, which reveal frustration, restore honesty and mutual understanding. Thematically, these two stories pave the way for a heavier drama in the last play, A Song at Twilight, where the truth can no longer be wrapped into gossip and is unfolded into a full-length play with suspension and mystery. Created in the days when homosexuality was not yet legalized, this work explores the price of concealing the truth from society and oneself. The psychological subtlety of the hero, a famous writer with a secret homosexual lover, will be unraveled at a steady pace distinguished from whimsy narrative in the double-bill.
The audience will also enjoy comparing the three plays in one setting with direct or indirect associations. Three stories happen in one luxurious suite with the same waiter, Felix, who serves three set of characters played by the same actors. While these stories are independent, they echo one another with similar lines and interaction with props, and the cast has the opportunity to demonstrate their capacity to shape different characters in various styles.
Emma Fielding and Tara Fitzgerald create wonderful chemistry in Shadows of the Evening with two sharply contrasting characters, portraying a dynamic relationship between a wife and a mistress interesting enough to overshadow their shared man. Stephen Boxer plays with his restrained manner in Come into the Garden, Maud and fashions the funny image of a husband who tries to take back control of his life from his wife. Their comical expressiveness gains darker shades in A Song at Twilight, which allows more room for complex psychological drama.
The ideal way to appreciate Suite in Three Keys is to watch three plays on the same day. Allow yourself to pull away from each story and enjoy their distinctive styles, and have a drink with the sentimental guitar-playing of Felix in the bar, just like the characters on the stage.
Suite in Three Keys is at the Orange Tree Theatre until 6th July 2024
