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Jacob Easton discovers a subtle study not of how-it-was, but how-it-still-is. And perhaps then, there is no such thing as ‘back-in-my-day’
Image by Jacob Easton
The 1930s, a rarely mentioned, but subtly relied upon era amongst the ‘back-in-my-day’ crowd. Talkies in the cinema, imperial measurements, and ‘normal’ family units without blemish or deviation. It’s therefore to be assumed that Noel Coward was on an absolute bender when he dreamed up Private Lives, a punchy (if you’ll pardon the pun) and entertaining piece now brilliantly brought back to life at Newcastle’s Northern Stage.
The play centres on two couples (Elyot and Sibyl, Victor and Amanda), newly married and on their respective honeymoons in the south of France. The only snag is that Elyot and Amanda were previously married, and they’ve not exactly moved on from their separation, cue mayhem.
The opening scenes set the bass line well, stylish, highbrow, and very very rich. If the performances initially feel a little shallow and detached, then that’s perhaps the point. It’s after Elyot (Chirag Benedict Lobo) and Amanda (Pepter Lunkuse) meet that the sparks start to fly and the cast start to riff in their own ways. The dotey and inexperienced Sibyl (Sade Malone) climbed in voice and stature. She’s shadowed by the kind-hearted but naïve Victor (Ashley Gerlach), who goes on his own journey of realisation and self-respect, with his own splash of silliness.
Taking centre stage was Elyot and Amanda, star crossed lovers, if viewed in the asteroids-smashing-into-one-another sort of way. Their story of toxic love is as alive as ever in the present day. Whilst Elyot displays no qualms with their arrangement, Amanda retains a sense of wrong. Deeply aware of their issues, but unable to shake her attachment to her first ever love, her sense of conflict is excellently explored by Pepter and brought to a satisfying resolution. Chirag does a particularly good job in dealing with a difficult script that seemed to veer suddenly from general moments of frivolity into some startlingly violent threats of abuse. The fact that he could do both with plausible conviction is a great credit to him.
With support from Jodie Cuaresma (Louise), this latest edition of Private Lives is an enjoyable and provoking one. Lives that might have been private back-in-the-day, are less so now. In the programme notes, the director (Tanuja Amarasuriya) touches on how modern the characters felt to them on reading the play, how they too, were young people working out how to be free and move forward in a precarious world, whilst navigating social expectations. It’s a sentiment which leaps off the stage.
This play isn’t a straight rendition of how-it-was, but how-it-still-is. And perhaps then, there is no such thing as ‘back-in-my-day’.
