A Review of Clarendon Productions’ Present Laughter

When a programme for a show contains as many of the Oxford Drama regulars as last week’s Present Laughter, audiences are promised a good show. From cast to crew, Clarendon Productions continued their trend of pulling together talent to create a something eye catching and well executed. Arriving at The Michael Pilch Studio, we were greeted by an array of cast members welcoming us to Garry Essendine’s birthday party. This small moment of immersive theatre instantly began to situate us in the play, being solidified upon entering the space. The black box theatre had been transformed beyond recognition. Stepping through drapes we entered a tent within which the thrust seating and Essendine’s flat were cosily contained. I have reviewed many a show at The Pilch and never has one succeeded in escaping the feel of that underground room… until now. It was easily to forget that beyond the fabric was the pillars and grubby black walls so familiar to those of us within the drama scene, particularly with the added ambience of Glen Miller. Hats off to set designer Lucas Angeli and all that he achieved.

For those unfamiliar with Coward’s story, the play tells the story of middle aged actor Garry Essendine, played by Alfie Dry, as has something of a crisis. Dry’s performance was dramatic and humorous, the actor leaning into both the character’s comedic roles and his own experience as a drag queen. The melodrama was punctuated with refreshing moments of seriousness (or at least semi serious), but these seemed to decrease as tension heightened and the complexities of his relationships came to a climax. Contrasting the, in some places, over the top characters, was Flora Symington’s long suffering Monica, secretary to Mr Essendine. Played with patience and no small degree of sarcasm, Symington’s performance often came as a breath of fresh air. In complete opposition to this, there is no denying that one of the standout performances was Leah Aspden’s obsessive and frankly skin crawling young writer Roland. From physicality to vocals, this was a role that completely transformed the actor, creating a young man who was deeply disturbing and yet perfectly suited the the overall comedy of the production. Likewise, Carys Howell’s Miss Erikson was as excellent as she was hilarious, adding to the comedy of the play with her shuffling walk and distain for orders. Added to this performance was the interval audience interaction in which an audience member was selected for a fortune reading (on the night I was there, Clarendon veteran Will Shackleton had his cards read). To mention but a few cast members suggests a disregard for the rest, but this was not due to some shining talents far outweighing the other performances, for the collective lived up to their reputations.

There was no doubt that this show was played for comedic effect, the actors getting progressively more dramatic as the performance reached the second half. Where Dry leaned into the dramatic nature of his character regularly, it was often balanced by the long suffering women orbiting him. However, as the play reached the second half this element seemed to fall away to be replaced by a sense that the whole thing was falling to pieces, or rather into hysterics. Egged on by the laughter of the directors from the audience and the general comedic potential of the script, the cast leant into the humour in places a little too hard, leaving us to wonder how much improvisation was taking place and whether the cast were genuinely forgetting lines and losing costume. What was undeniable was quite how much fun they seemed to be having on stage… and also that had the cigarettes been real they would have burnt the theatre down a dozen times over!

Thanks to the over the top nature of many of the performances, this show followed through on the promise of the title and certainly provided plenty of opportunities for laughter. With an excellent array of actors, it was a play which displayed plenty of talent beneath the canopy of an amazing set. Yet, I was left asking whether it was all a little too much. Ultimately, it was a show less inclined towards the serious and more towards the goal of having as much fun as possible on stage.