Irina Pearson
How much would two married people fight if they knew that their next-door neighbor would make their quarrel into a stage play?
This is exactly what Noël Coward did in the summer of 1930 while recovering from flu in a hotel room in Shanghai. Rumor has it some fighting couple that stayed in an adjacent room inspired Coward to write ‘Private Lives’.
He penned the play in four days and it became a great success first in England and than on Broadway.
This satirical comment in three acts starts at a romantic resort on the French Riviera. Newlyweds Elyot and Sybil Chase begin their honeymoon, when they learn that Elyot’s ex-wife, Amanda Prynne, is also vacationing next-door with her new husband Victor.
Before long, Elyot and Amanda rediscover their attraction towards each other, but they are quickly reminded why they got a divorce on the first place.
“It’s a story of two people who cannot live without each other,” says Gene Putnam, the director. “But they also cannot live with each other, so basically the play is about compromise which is the core of any marriage.”
The play starts out as tragedy and quickly turns into a farce. The fiery dialogue between the characters maneuver the play through the hilarious, but romantic storm.
Comedy was Coward’s favorite genre and it is Gene Putnam’s as well.
“I enjoy directing comedies, it’s kind of my thing,” he says. “It’s also nice to do something with a smaller cast.” There are five people total in the play with four main characters carrying the story.
Anthony Cantrell, who plays Elyot Chase, finds his character so much fun to work with precisely because this Brit is very different from the actor’s real-life personality. “I can fully explore being snobby and pretentious,” says Cantrell. “Which is not who I am in real life at all.”
Getting the customs of the upper-class English society just right is one of the many challenges for the cast of ‘Private Lives’.
Cantrell has lived in England for six months which helped to set a foundation for better understanding a class separation.
Paul Nieman, who plays Victor Prynne and works as a director of facilities at Pierce College, comes from a family with many English relatives. The actor takes his craft seriously, reciting the lines without glancing at the script once during rehearsals.
Trina Marguerite, who portrays Amanda Chase, seems to have managed a proper English accent effortlessly.
The actors also have to master the etiquette of the upper-class British society. One of the rehearsals involved a lesson on the proper Afternoon tea. The instructor, who was English, made sure the students poured tea and cream at the same time and placed their spoon at the six o-clock position at all times.
“The fact that the characters belong to a different social class was one of the things that made me pick this play,” says Putnam. “It’s not something we come across every day out here and it’s fascinating.”
Troubled relationships and bristling exchange between the characters also give the actors a lot to work with.
“My character is naive and has a lot of obvious shortcomings,” says Jessica Wolford who plays Sybil Chase. “She looks to others to fill her personal void, but her flaws is what makes her more interesting.”
The actress, who is majoring in nursing, was very excited to be picked for the role. “Pierce has a great reputation for many wonderful stage productions.” says Wolford.
The play is accompanied by beautiful music written by Noel Coward himself.
“Every time Amanda and Elyot hear ‘Someday I will Find You’, they forget why they are fighting,” says Putnam. “It’s like they meet each other all over again.”
Whether the two will get back together or not, the audience can find out when the play opens on the Dow Arena Theater in May.