Present Laughter

Present Laughter opens at the Liverpool Playhouse Theatre on Tuesday 20 October, running through to Saturday 24 October. It's Noel Coward's comedy, often called his masterpiece, and it's built around the kind of sharp dialogue and quick wit he's known for. The play takes a look at the allure and the messy realities of modern life, and it's as much about the performance of a personality as it is about the plot.

At the centre is Geri Essendine, a hugely successful actress who's been thirty-nine for the best part of a decade. Her wit and charm have won her a legion of devoted fans, young and old, alongside a circle of friends, acquaintances and hangers-on. The story kicks in just as she's about to leave for a tour of Africa, and she finds herself besieged by a bevy of would-be lovers, her long-suffering secretary, her estranged husband and an obsessed young playwright. It's a comedy of manners and ego, and the dialogue does a lot of the heavy lifting.

Tracy-Ann Oberman takes the lead as Essendine, with James Dreyfus in the cast and Lindsay Posner directing. This production is brought to the Playhouse by Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Augusta Productions, and it marks Oberman's return to the stage following her acclaimed turn in The Merchant of Venice 1936. It's a role that asks for a lot of the same things the play is about: timing, presence and a certain kind of theatrical command.

Tickets are £22.06, which includes the booking fee, and the run goes from Tuesday 20 October to Saturday 24 October at the Liverpool Playhouse Theatre on Williamson Square.