Present Laughter: A Light Comedy in Three Acts

At the centre of his own universe sits matinee idol Garry Essendine: suave, hedonistic and too old, says his wife, to be having numerous affairs. His line in harmless, infatuated debutantes is largely tolerated but playing closer to home is not. Just before he escapes on tour to Africa the full extent of his misdemeanours is discovered. And all hell breaks loose.
Noel Coward's Present Laughter premiered in the early years of the Second World War just as such privileged lives were threatened with fundamental social change. Arguably the most autobiographical of his plays, it provided a sparkling platform for his talents with Coward both directing and starring as Garry Essendine.
Published to coincide with the play's first staging at the National Theatre in October 2007, this edition features an introduction and commentary on the production directed by Howard Davies in the Lyttelton auditorium.