John Frazier Lights Up the PSI Stage as Ladies' Man Garry Essendine in Noël Coward's Present Laughter

This article was published in the Triangle Review on 23 February 2023.

Switchyard Theatre Company's production of Noël Coward's Present Laughter depicts a few days in the late 1930's life of successful, self-obsessed, philandering actor Garry Essendine as he prepares to go on tour in Africa. It is an evening of intelligent comedy of the Oscar Wilde style.

Present Laughter, which was written in 1939, but not staged until 1942, due to World War II, opens on a young woman in her dressing robe, waiting in a sitting room for world-loved comic actor Garry Essendine to emerge from his bedroom. Daphne, played in dramatic juvenile fashion by Dani Coan, forgot her latchkey the previous night and had to spend the night in Essendine's "spare room" -- apparently a common occurrence among the women whom he meets. After their night together, Daphne has fallen in school-girl-crush love with the almost involuntarily charming Essendine; and it takes the whole scene for him to get her to accept defeat and leave.

Stephanie Spohrer does a laugh-out-loud job demonstrating Essendine's maid Miss Erikson's quirky and confused facial expressions, as she shuffles in and out of the sitting room with a cigarette dangling from her mouth, experiencing momentary catatonic moments that the other characters clearly recognize but ignore. Her mannerisms are delightfully reminiscent of personal-assistant Bubbles on the hit British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.

Tania Kelly plays Essendine's secretary, Monica Reed, with the deliberate flatness required of someone who cleans up their boss' messes after anticipating -- but being unable to prevent -- them. And Gerald Rubin plays Essendine's valet Fred with good-hearted and polite but unimpassioned enthusiasm.

Shana Fisher's portrayal of Essendine's wife, Liz, is on mark, believably demonstrating Liz's patience with her husband's inability to say no, her part in cleaning up the messes that result, and her genuine love for the man she married and supports for the good of everyone involved.

Jamin Wade plays Essendine-obsessed playwright Roland Maule rather ludicrously, making other characters jump as he gasps with excitement at any prospect of genius in Essendine's comments. And Akili Holder-Cozart is unsubtly alluring and manipulative in her portrayal of Joanna Lyppiatt -- the whoring, social-ladder-climbing wife of Essendine's friend and partner Hugo Lyppiatt -- who seduces Essendine toward the end of the play.

Though all the actors are more than adequate, the star of the play is John Frazier, who plays Garry Essendine. It is worth going just to see him in action. Utilizing every inch of his large body and soul, Frazier's organic delivery of Essendine's charmingly self-indulging yet self-pitying lines immediately draws adoration from the audience akin to that of the play's fictional world. Frazier lights up the stage every time he appears; so that, when he is absent, you'll find yourself waiting for his return.

Intermission comes surprisingly quickly; and the second act wraps up the play nicely, leaving the audience to ponder society's acceptance of charismatic male philanderers, such as Garry Essendine, in contrast to women, such as Joanna Lyppiatt, who use their sex appeal for personal gain. Jodeya Brown's costumes and director Nadia Bodie-Smith's scenic design are chronologically accurate and comforting, making me think of my grandmother's world before she was my grandmother. And the good sound and lighting is easily taken for granted, which means that sound/lighting designer Valentina Moya and operator Patrick Lillie have done their jobs well.

The diversity of the Switchyard Theater Company cast successfully demonstrates the timelessness of the play's humor and the suitability of its themes, not only for the predominantly white British audience of 1942, but for today's racially and ethnically diverse American audiences. Indeed, three of the company's announced aims are to (1) "engage, entertain, and inspire greater-Triangle residents with reimagined classic plays"; (2) "provide opportunities for aspiring theater professionals of all ethnicities and gender identifications to grow through experience and education"; and (3) "facilitate a broader understanding of current events and our shared humanity through the entertaining power of theater."

Switchyard Theater Company's presentation of Noël Coward's Present Laughter, which runs through Sunday, March 5th, in the PSI Theatre at the Durham Arts Council, accomplishes all three of those aims. I thank the Durham Arts Council for facilitating this performance, and I look forward to more in the future.

John Frazier stars as womanizing actor Garry Essendine in Switchyard Theatre Company's rendition of Present Laughter