REVIEW: "Present Laughter" in Brown County

Performance: Sunday, August 9th @ 3:00pm

Location: Brown County Playhouse, Brown County, IN

Noël Coward's play Present Laughter, is one that I had never read, nor had I seen a performance of before attending this Brown County Playhouse Production. The play was written in 1939, but not produced for the first time until 1942, which continues to support my feeling that many of the plays chosen for the summer Brown County productions are rather dated for those theatre goers who are searching something substantive to sink their teeth into.

First, I must say that I found myself asking throughout the performance, "what is the point of this play?" and "what is the playwright trying to say?" I would venture to say the answer is "not much". Coward himself is quoted on the introductory page of the play as saying, "Present Laughter is a very light comedy and was written with the sensible object of providing me with a bravura part." Coward was the first actor to play the lead role of Garry Essendine (standing in the photo to the right).

This slow moving play follows the days in the life of actor Garry Essendine (Paul DeBoy) leading up to his departure for Africa. Cared for by his attentive personal assistant, Monica Reed (Abby Rowold), Garry deals with a series of friends, family, and strangers who fawn over him and/or complicate the final days before his departure.

The two stand-out performances came from equity actors Paul DeBoy and Shannon Koob (Joanna). DeBoy's British accent, demeanor, and embodiment of the self-absorbed Essendine were brilliant. Even while the play was slow, it was enjoyable to watch DeBoy's performance. The stage heated to its highest point as Joanna, who happens to be Garry's producer's wife, makes advances toward him. Koob's performance was sultry and her chemistry with DeBoy lit the stage. The highest moments in the play were those scenes at the end of Act I and in Act II, where the audience had the opportunity to take in their banter.

There is one Indiana University MFA student who is one to watch for in the upcoming IU season. Abby Rowold, who was also seen in There Goes the Bride this summer, was very enjoyable to watch, had good timing, and seemed even stronger in the role of Monica Reed. Curiously, the 2009/2010 IU Theatre Season will include Major Barbara, which is a show that Rowold is very familiar with, as she has played the role of Barbara Undershaft in Chicago.

While there were certainly some bright spots in this production, I anticipate that this is the last summer Brown County Playhouse season that I will attend. This theatre goer prefers productions that take risks and inspire thought, rather than simply entertain, though Present Laughter fell a bit short of even this.