Review: Private Lives (Octagon Theatre, Bolton)

Review by Jack McCabe

⭐️⭐️⭐️

A comedic play tackling love, toxicity and the cyclical nature of relationships, Noël Coward’s Private Lives is, at its heart, a tale of a divorced couple who each go on to re-marry and accidentally bring themselves back together by way of their choice of honeymoon destination leading to choices having to be made between passion and stability. Set between Deauville and Paris, it is a fast-paced and quick-witted piece with champagne fuelled confrontation at its heart. Whilst this production put on by the Bolton Octagon had the potential to bubble into brilliance, it, at times, fell flat.

The play is soon to be 100 years old and, to director Tanuja Amarasuriya’s credit, it doesn’t feel dated at all. Her direction brought to life how the themes explored by Coward so many years ago are still relevant today. It was not stuffy, stiff, or antiquated. It was colourful, turbulent, and dynamic. Amy Jane Cook’s set and costume design are a particular highlight, the bright and colourful set the perfect backdrop for this story, while the costumes strike the right balance between classic and progressive.

This play is so fast paced that it requires the energy to be carried through by the actors without falling into over-acting territory. Chirag Benedict Lobo’s performance as Elyot cannot be said to be anything but energetic but does, occasionally, take it slightly too far. This has the consequence of essentially making the character a caricature rather than relatable. His chemistry with his ex-spouse, Amanda, played by Pepter Lunkuse is excellent, the scenes involving them together the pinnacle of this performance. Pepter Lunkuse takes to the role with skill and is witty, fierce and passionate. She moves between vulnerability and volatility so easily and, in many ways, is the star of this show.

Ashley Gerlach’s performance as Victor is also worthy of a mention. It is a difficult task to portray a character who is intended to appear to be the opposite of the colourful and exciting characters in this play, whilst delivering regular laughs, but Ashley Gerlach delivers this task masterfully. Sade Malone plays Sybil, a character who seems to be on the stage much less than the other performers. Sybil is grounded in stereotypes and Malone plays to them excellently. She is funny, naïve and vulnerable.

Coward’s text brings with it some brilliant, clever and witty lines which sometimes get lost here. It feels odd to say that such a fast production gets off to a slow start, but I am afraid that is the case. This production grows in confidence as it progresses, and the second act is certainly stronger than the first, due in large part to the physical comedy that dominates the latter scenes, although these were not without issues.

As well as being a comedy, this play has incredibly dark themes. Domestic abuse features regularly throughout the exploration of these warring relationships. It seemed that those features of the production were played more for laughs than anything else, which added unnecessary flippancy where, in my view, there should have been both light and shade in order to reflect the real depth in this enduring play.

This production had some brilliant highlights. It was, on the whole, well-acted with endearing costume and set design. The cast’s chemistry with one another was also faultless. However, a slow start and blind eye to the darker side of this tale perhaps holds it back from being a masterful adaptation.

Private Lives plays at the Octagon Theatre until September 27th

For tickets and information visit https://octagonbolton.co.uk/events/private-lives

Photos by Pamela Raith