Romance, comedy and a whirl with the unexpected are what is in store for the audience in this term's mainstage production, "Private Lives."
Paul Gaffney, chair of the drama department, directs a talented student cast that brings to life the style of speech and behavior in upperclass English society of the 1930s. The play is one of Noel Coward's comedies of manners, which avoid serious political issues and follow the frivolity and ludicrous coincidences in the lives of the well-to-do.
Humor and dramatic conflict intensify when a divorced man and woman encounter each other again when each is honeymooning with a new spouse. Romantic intrigue and matrimonial mix-ups bring comedy and emotional tension to a height.
The unique aspect of this play is the cast and crew's conscientious attempt to capture authentically the style of life of the 1930s England. This goal was applied to every part of the play-- from acting, to costumes, set design and lighting.
To speak like the English high society of the time, the cast listened to recordings of Coward himself, as well as other actors of his day. To immerse themselves in the mentality of the era, Gaffney also had the cast review photos of early twentieth century England, watch small clippings of films and examine authentic magazines from the 1930s.
Such meticulous work was also key in making period costumes and sets. Costume, lighting and set designers strove to recreate Coward's world, with its styles, fashions and color schemes. This is especially laudable when one considers the fact that the Bentley theatre is so small, and that special attention had to be paid to detail because the audience is so close.
One of the unique technical aspects of this play is that all these designers are students. The play features scenery by Matthew Welander '97, lighting by Aurora Leute '97 and costumes by Jennifer Moeller '98. This is the first mainstage production where all three designers are students.
According to Gaffney, the special challenge of the play was to capture a mentality and style of life that is "long since gone."
"I want the audience to take away a sense of what life was like from Coward's point of view -- a narrow slice of life from a narrow point of view," Gaffney said.
But perhaps the cast of "Private Lives" can show us that this slice of life is not as narrow as one might think, that humor and human character, while clearly shown to be relevant in the thirties, is also most certainly relevant to an audience of the nineties.
"Private Lives" opens tonight in Bentley Theatre at 8 pm. Shows will run Thursday through Saturday, February 13 through 15 and February 20 through 22, and on 2pm on Sunday, February 23.
Tickets are $7 for reserved seats, $5 for graduate students and $2 for undergraduates.
