Present Laughter May 17, 2009

'Present Laughter' is one of Noel Coward's finest and funniest semi-autobiographical comedies. Stylishly attired and devastatingly charismatic, Garry Essendine is a famous, self-dramatizing actor who never met a mirror he didn't like. He teeters reluctantly towards middle age, while everyone who encounters him is completely infatuated with him. The stage is set for a battle of glittering egos as Essendine - the master of razor sharp repartee, ruthless put-downs and spectacular tantrums - takes on an admiring young playwright, his tart-tongued secretary, his business partners, a hilariously acerbic ex-wife and an hours-old tryst.