Š Huntington Theatre Company Boston, MA 02115 May 2007 No portion of this Teacher Curriculum Guide may be reproduced without written permission from the Huntington Theatre Company’s Department of Education. Inquiries should be directed to: Donna Glick, Director of Education Huntington Theatre Company 264 Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02115
Limelight
teacher literary & curriculum guide
Victor Garber in
Present Laughter
by
Noël Coward Directed by
Nicholas Martin May 18 - June 17, 2007 at the Boston University Theatre 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston
HUNTINGTON THEATRE COMPANY IN RESIDENCE AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY
HUNTINGTON THEATRE COMPANY
Nicholas Martin
IN RESIDENCE AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Norma Jean Calderwood Artistic Director
Michael Maso Managing Director
Present Laughter Noël Coward Directed by Nicholas Martin by
Table of Contents STAFF
Table of Contents 2 Synopsis
This Teacher Literary and Curriculum Guide was prepared for the Huntington Theatre Company by
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Noël Coward - A Man of His Century
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With contributions by Donna Glick, Director of Education
Names Matter: AGlossary of London in Present Laughter
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A “Spy” Too Much in the Public Eye
Ilana Brownstein, Literary Manager
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For Further Reading
Kathryn Harris, Research Assistant
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Interview - Victor Garber
Kristen Gandrow, Freelance Writer and Dramaturg
11 Audience Etiquette
Justin Waldman, Artistic Associate
12 Preparation for Present Laughter
Amanda Rota, Education Department Manager
13 Open Response & Writing Assignments
Marisa Jones, Education Consultant
11 Background & Objectives
Melissa Wagner-O’Malley, Layout
14 Mastery Assessment 14 For Further Exploration 15 Media Assessment 16 Questions for After the Performance 16 Related Works and Resources 17 Lesson Plans 19 Handout 1: Vocabulary 20 Handout 2: Character Quiz for Present Laughter Proud Sponsor
Victor Garber in
Synopsis
Present Laughter
What is love? ’tis not hereafter; Present mirth hath present laughter; What’s to come is still unsure: In delay there lies no plenty; Then come kiss me, sweet and twenty, Youth’s a stuff will not endure. – William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, or What You Will, II.iii
S
by
Noël Coward Nicholas Martin May 18 - June 17, 2007 at the Boston University Theatre 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston
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Huntington Theatre Company
Victor Garber; photo: Joan Marcus
Directed by
hakespeare’s quotation ends with the very omen Noël Coward himself, and Present Laughter’s lead character, Garry Essendine, feared — youth will certainly fade. Who knows what the future may hold? If kissing an attractive twenty-year-old is a possibility today, then one must hasten to act. It’s the late 1930s, and Garry Essendine is a theatre celebrity. He enjoys a glamorous life of performance and travel, mixing with both aristocrats and bohemian artists. His outsized ego, mostly indistinguishable from his stage persona, endears him to his loyal circle of friends — Morris, Henry, and Liz — who function as his tight little family. Together they epitomize England’s fashionable “bright young things” who first found their milieu in the 1920s Jazz Age. At least a decade has passed since then. Garry has hit middle age, and his complicated private life and playboy ways are exhausting for everyone. As members of Garry’s domestic coterie — his personal secretary Monica, his valet Fred, and Miss Erikson, the cook and housekeeper — discover yet another ingénue has stayed the night in Garry’s guestroom, an intervention seems to be in order. Complicating matters, it also seems that Garry’s producer, Morris, may be in love with their friend Henry’s wife Joanna, an interloper who could break apart their perfectly balanced group. Liz — the wife who left Garry years ago, but remains a friend and confidante — appeals to Garry to get to the truth and fix the problem before Henry finds out, otherwise the results will be dismal for all. All the while, Garry is preparing to leave on a long theatrical tour of Africa, if only there weren’t so many distractions. On top of the Joanna problem, there’s an obsessed young playwright and the maddeningly persistent ingénue, both of whom throw themselves at Garry’s feet at the most inopportune times. Monica and Liz try to rein in the domestic chaos as all the farcical threads begin to unravel. Garry’s world must be put right by whatever means possible, and in the end, there is only one solution to all their problems: love… and a quick getaway. – KG
Noël Coward, 1930s
NOËL COWARD
A Man of his Century S
ir Noël Pierce Coward grew up with the 20th century. He was born December 16, 1899, in Teddington, England, just in time for Christmas and a brand new era. His father Arthur was an unsuccessful piano tuner and salesman, his mother Violet opened a boarding house for income to support young Noël’s burgeoning career as a child actor. From the age of seven, he could play piano by ear. In 1911, he made his professional stage debut as Prince Mussel in a children’s play, The Goldfish. The next year, “Master Coward” appeared on stage several times, and met Esmé Wynne, an older
girl who was a writer, and with whom Coward would form a bond that fed his early theatrical endeavors. Throughout his teen years, Coward developed relationships with young women like Wynne and the actress Gertrude Lawrence (with whom he would be friends for more than half a century). These friendships began a long-standing pattern for Coward, in which his outspoken female companions helped him cultivate and sustain a reputation as a playboy, effectively masking his homosexuality in public. But even as early as fifteen, Coward’s relationships with men
held more romantic meaning for him — such was his relationship with Philip Streatfield, a bohemian painter twice his age. In 1914, they took a two-week holiday to the coast, and their friendship apparently aroused no suspicion. Streatfield introduced him to the eccentric aristocrat and socialite, Mrs. Evangeline Julia AstleyCooper, who invited Coward to her estate for weekend parties where he had his first taste of the upper-class life. As he progressed to young adulthood, Coward continued to act, and though he suffered an illness during this time, he also kept up with his writing, often in collaboration with Esmé Wynne. In 1917, they co-wrote The Last Chapter (later retitled Ida Collaborates). It was their first real production, and was presented out of town. That year, Coward appeared in his first movie, the silent war propaganda film Hearts of the World, featuring Lillian and Dorothy Gish. Just as his career was taking off, he was “called up” to serve among the rank and file in World War I, but secured reassignment into the Artists’ Rifles. When he accidentally was knocked unconscious for three days, headaches and blackouts soon caused his discharge from the army. Coward was happy to return to his work, and it was then — courtesy of his connection to Mrs. Astley-Cooper — that he met the artist Gladys Calthrop. She would become another of Coward’s indispensable girlfriends, as well as the designer for most of his future productions. By 1921, Coward’s plays had received a few productions and he decided to try his luck in New York. He scraped together £100 (the equivalent of $5,000 today) to pay a one-way fare on an ocean liner instead of traveling by more affordable steamer, hoping he’d make valuable connections. Unable to sell his writing or find acting in the late summer, when New Yorkers fled the city, the near-penniless Coward was depressed, lonely, and homesick. Ever resourceful, he nevertheless managed to make friends with Limelight Literary & Curriculum Guide 2006-2007
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Tallulah Bankhead, Lynn Fontanne, and Alfred Lunt, who introduced him to other luminaries of the American theatre world. Socializing with the rich and famous was Noël Coward’s métier, but he hadn’t yet found his dreamed-of success, and was forced to accept an offer from a society friend for free passage back to England on her husband’s ship. But it would be one of the last times Coward needed to accept charity. His career exploded throughout the 1920s with multiple hit productions — London Calling!, The Vortex, Fallen Angels, Hay Fever — as well as a few resounding flops. He was a glamorous icon of the era’s “Bright Young Things” — the cocktaildrinking, late-night dancing flapper-girls and dapper gents, disdained by a conservative older generation. He traveled repeatedly to New York and Europe, his fame an entrée to the highest echelons of society where he hobnobbed with royalty, Prime Ministers, and Presidents — always using social connections to his advantage. His vast network of friends resembled a Who’s Who of the century: Eva Le Gallienne, Ethel Barrymore, George S. Kaufman, Alexander Woolcott, George Jean Nathan, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Mary Pickford, Marlene Dietrich, Lawrence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Michael Redgrave, John Gielgud, Lord and Lady Mountbatten, the Churchills, and the Roosevelts. The stock market crash of 1929 and the Depression did little to dampen Noël Coward’s stardom. Plays and musicals such as Private Lives, Cavalcade, and BitterSweet opened the 1930s as huge hits in London and New York. His songs were hits too, including “Mad Dogs and Englishmen,” “A Room with a View,” “Mad About the Boy,” and others. Coward wrote and starred in many of his shows, and characters based on Coward’s friends took various forms in his successful plays. Combatant family members, sexual shenanigans, and unusual marriage circumstances were the norm. Coward’s hilarious battles of the sexes were seen by 4
Huntington Theatre Company
Noël Coward (third from left) and Gertrude Lawrence backstage during their premiere run of Private Lives with wellwishers Frederic March (far left) and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (far right); 1930, The Phoenix Theatre, London Lorn Loraine (seated, left) with Coward at a Variety Club lunch
Coward built an alternate family around himself, a collection of intimates he tapped for constant support ... They nicknamed him “The Master.” his audiences as proof of his heterosexual understanding of marriage, though the reality was much different. Plagued by a demanding mother, Coward built an alternate family around himself, a collection of intimates he tapped for constant support, and who traveled with him, lived with him, and maintained his home while he toured. They nicknamed him “The Master.” For his personal secretary Lorn Loraine, Coward’s life was her life, his friends were hers; they were equal in all decisions about his life. Loraine’s devoted friendship with Coward lasted forty-six years
until her death in 1967. In 1936, Cole Lesley became Coward’s companion and valet, but Coward treated Lesley like a butler and often berated him for imagined faults. He was considered a servant, unlike the friend Loraine was — a dynamic evidenced in Monica’s and Fred’s relative positions in Present Laughter. Still, Cole Lesley stayed loyally at Coward’s side for thirty years, even penning a warm biography of him in 1976. Domestic friendships and casual flings were sustaining, but there were two great loves during Coward’s lifetime that shaped him immeasurably. Coward first
1942, Present Laughter opened with Coward starring as Garry Essendine. The conditions were not ideal — curtain was at 6 p.m. so audiences could catch the last buses home in time for curfew and blackouts. met Jack Wilson in the mid-1920s, during the London run of The Vortex. Wilson was a handsome, Yale-educated, Wall Street stock-broker who was also an alcoholic with questionable business ethics. Blinded by love, Coward turned over the management of his financial affairs in their entirety, including power of attorney. It became clear almost immediately that Wilson was embezzling, but Coward wanted Wilson’s affection more than money, and ordered his confidantes to turn a blind eye. By the late 1930s, Coward could no longer ignore the destruction that Wilson had wreaked in his personal and business affairs, and the two split. In 1932, Coward had met Graham Payn, who would eventually become his second true love. As an eagerto-please teenager, Payn auditioned for Coward’s hit revue, Words and Music, by singing “Nearer My God To Thee” while tap dancing. He was immediately hired. Coward later mentored Payn, writing parts for him and casting him where he could; Payn gained both craft and fame under Coward’s tutelage. By the early 1940s, their romantic involvement had matured. Payn remained with him until Coward’s death, and served as the executor and guardian of Coward’s estate until his own death in 2005. Though written in the late 1930s, Present Laughter had been put on hold when Coward was called to wartime service on behalf of British intelligence authorities (see “A ‘Spy’ Too Much in the Public Eye” on page 6 of the Limelight supplement). But in 1942, Present Laughter opened in repertory on a twenty-five city British tour, with Coward starring as
Coward with his mother, Violet, at the Paris premiere of Present Laughter, 1948
Garry Essendine. The conditions were not ideal — curtain was at 6 p.m. so audiences could catch the last buses home in time for curfew and blackouts. On April 29, 1943, Present Laughter finally had its London premiere at Theatre Royal, Haymarket, with This Happy Breed opening the next night. Both received good notices, and Coward’s role as Garry Essendine was uniformly hailed as masterful. By this time, his war efforts were coming to a close, and after VE Day in 1945, Coward’s life slowly returned to form. His studio and country house were repaired from damage sustained in the German Blitz, his coterie of friends surrounded him, Cole Lesley returned from R.A.F. duty to be by his side, and there were theatre and film projects to consider. For nearly three more decades, Coward continued to “do it all” in theatre and
film. He even performed a cabaret show in Las Vegas. He published a novel, a collection of stories, and the second installment of his memoir, Future Indefinite (the first volume, Present Indicative, was published in 1937). Many of his long-running plays were revived, filmed for cinema, and made into TV movies. The new titles piled up on both sides of the Atlantic, as they had during his prewar career: Quadrille, Meet Me Tonight, After the Ball, Nude with Violin, The Girl Who Came to Dinner, Sail Away, and many others. In 1970, Noël Coward was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II; the next year he received a Tony Award for distinguished achievement in the theatre. In 1973, the anthology Oh Coward! opened on Broadway — he made his last public appearance at a gala performance of the production. Noël Coward died on March 26, 1973, on the island of Jamaica where he had long maintained a home with Graham Payn. He is buried in the garden of Firefly, his home there; a memorial service was held at St. Martin’s in the Fields, London. The final installment of his memoir, Past Conditional, remained unfinished. In 1984, Coward’s dear friend, the Queen Mother, unveiled a memorial stone to him in Poet’s Corner at Westminster Abbey, and in 1998, she unveiled a statue of him in the foyer of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London. His plays remain well-loved by generations of theatre-goers, and his personal story still holds the air of romance, glitz, and fame that Coward himself strove for in every endeavor. – KG Limelight Literary & Curriculum Guide 2006-2007
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Names Matter: A Glossary of London in Present Laughter The Athenaeum Club: This exclusive London club elects successful men of letters, the sciences, or arts to join those with inherited wealth and status, and according to the club’s materials, was founded “as a meeting place for men who enjoy the life of the mind.” Its members voted to admit women in 2002. The Ivy: A long-standing restaurant in Covent Garden and a favorite of theatre people (it’s still quite difficult to get a table). The Lord Chamberlain: England’s official censor of plays. The position existed from 1737 until 1968, and was originally instated to curtail political satire on British stages. One of the last plays to be subject to the Lord Chamberlain’s censorship was Edward Bond’s Saved in 1965. R.A.D.A.: The venerable Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Regent’s Park: A lovely neighborhood and park. Garry Essendine’s ex-wife Liz would have had a better address, such as this, if she’d married someone other than Garry. Roedean: A highly selective girls’ school. Uckfield and Lewes: Unpromising, provincial places to live, perceived as the middle of nowhere. Venues: The Forum, Haymarket (Theatre Royal), and Mayfair are respectable “legitimate” theatres, in contrast to Tagani’s, a middle- or working-class music hall on Tottenham Court Road where Doris, the girlfriend of Garry Essendine’s valet, Fred, performs in a variety show. - KG
Top, The Athenaeum Club Bottom, Regent’s Park
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Huntington Theatre Company
A “SPY” TOO MUCH
in the Public Eye
Noël Coward with the troops, Malta, 1943
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oël Coward had long felt he shirked his duty as a youth during World War I, when he asked for reassignment to an easier battalion and then was discharged for a minor injury. As England’s involvement in the war against Hitler drew closer in 1939, he found himself increasingly worried. When war first broke out in Europe, it was considered merely Teutonic bluster by the English, but as its severity increased, Coward was determined to do something meaningful and patriotic. When he volunteered his services, Winston Churchill rebuffed Coward’s offer by suggesting he could sing “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” to sailors. (The cut hurt Coward, and he ignored Churchill’s advice, for which the Prime Minister never really forgave him.)
Not to be put off, Coward was intrigued when Sir Campbell Stuart, a member of the Imperial Communications Advisory Committee, telephoned and asked to meet that evening at midnight. He agreed and received an assignment critical to national security: when war came, Coward was to establish a Bureau of Propaganda in Paris and collaborate with the French Ministry of Information. In the meantime, Coward had clandestine briefings nightly, while during the day, rehearsals were underway for a double bill of This Happy Breed and Present Laughter. When Germany invaded Poland, Coward canceled the productions and moved to Paris’ Ritz Hotel within a week. He was charged to act in absolute secrecy, which was at first easy, as no officials in
Paris had heard of him or cared about his plans. But weeks of awkwardness ensued. The Ritz was too expensive (Coward was paying for this mission himself), so he and his valet, Cole Lesley, moved into an apartment in the Place Vendôme. Society in Paris seemed untouched by the war, so Coward busied himself with dining and social engagements to ward off boredom; he also found a tutor to help improve his serviceable French. Finally, with help from the Director of Military Intelligence, he established an office and hired a staff of five. Coward traveled to England monthly to ask for guidance, but also to visit his friends and family, whom he found were carrying on as if the war didn’t exist. In seven months, Coward had but one success — he managed to close a radio station that was broadcasting illegally and possibly endangering Allied planes over the English Channel. In 1940, Coward was assigned to America for six weeks to casually seek information from politicians, newspaper editors, and his society contacts about American opinions of the war. Meanwhile, the German Blitz on England had begun. New York welcomed Coward into its glittering social scene, and he endeavored to speak to people in power about the war during dinner-party conversations, even meeting with President Roosevelt, who, like Churchill, wanted him to sing “Mad Dogs and Englishmen.” Coward traveled extensively, gathering an ad hoc list of Americans opposed to the policy of isolationism, but the new British Minister of Information was noncommittal about Coward’s objectives, and he returned to France as invasions there and in Italy were in progress. As the dangers in France increased, he managed to board the last civilian flight out of France for five years. At loose ends again, Coward was sent to America for another image-building exercise to counter Nazi propaganda in the States. He sang his popular songs, interviewed business and Limelight Literary & Curriculum Guide 2006-2007
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For Further Reading: Noël Coward AUTOBIOGRAPHIES Coward, Noël. Present Indicative: The Autobiography of Noël Coward, volume 1. London: A&C Black, 2004. Coward, Noël. Future Indefinite: The Autobiography of Noël Coward, volume 2. London: A&C Black, 2004. Coward, Noël. The Noël Coward Diaries. eds. Graham Payn and Sheridan Morley. London: Phoenix Press, 1982. BIOGRAPHIES Lesley, Cole. Remembered Laughter: The Life of Noël Coward. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1976. Payn, Graham. My Life with Noël Coward. New York: Applause Books, 1994. Hoare, Philip. Noël Coward: A Biography. Chicago: Chicago Free Press, 1995. SELECTED PLAYS Coward, Noël. Noël Coward Collected Plays 1 (Hay Fever, The Vortex, Fallen Angels, Easy Virtue). London: A&C Black, 2000. Coward, Noël. Noël Coward Collected Plays 2 (Private Lives, Bitter-Sweet, The Marquise, Post-Mortem). London: A&C Black, 2000. Coward, Noël. Noël Coward Collected Plays 3 (Design for Living, Cavalcade, Conversation Piece, Tonight at 8:30 I). London: A&C Black, 2000. Coward, Noël. Noël Coward Collected Plays 4 (Blithe Spirit, Present Laughter, This Happy Breed, Tonight at 8:30 II). London: A&C Black, 2000.
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Huntington Theatre Company
Noël Coward (front, right) in a scene from his film In Which We Serve, 1942
While the British press sniped that Coward managed to stay far from the battlelines, Coward’s tour was indeed hard work. political leaders, and gave speeches to civic groups and anyone else who asked. Subsequently he was invited to tour Australia and New Zealand, making radio broadcasts and giving concerts for the Red Cross, war charities, and Allied Forces training camps. While the British press sniped that Coward managed to stay far from the battlelines, Coward’s tour was indeed hard work. During this time, Coward was offered an American secret service position that Churchill subsequently objected to and canceled. So, finally, Coward returned home. His office and studio were severely damaged in the Blitz, so he moved into the Savoy Hotel. When his English country home was occupied by the armed forces, his mother and aunt fled to live in his New York apartment. Yet with all the chaos around him, he wrote Blithe Spirit in less than a week’s time — after two years away from the typewriter. It was the hit of 1941 in the West End and later in New York, and
is one of Coward’s best plays. He then went on to write his smash movie In Which We Serve, which received a special Oscar at the 1943 Academy Awards for Outstanding Production Achievement. Although Coward’s patriotism was his strength during wartime, it was later revealed that J. Edgar Hoover suspected Coward of spying for the Germans and had him under surveillance during the 1940s. Coward’s name was also found on Hitler’s blacklist of people to be arrested and executed if the Nazis invaded England. After the 1943 London premiere of Present Laughter, Coward embarked upon one last patriotic hurrah: a grueling, illness-filled tour in which he performed for British and Allied troops stationed across the globe. Gone for nearly a year, his travels took him to the Middle East, Africa, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Burma (now Myanmar), and India, where he often sang three or more concerts a day, sometimes within yards of enemy lines. – KG
Theatre fans know Victor Garber from his legendary appearance as Anthony Hope in the original production of Sondheim’s classic musical Sweeney Todd. Or for his Tony Awardnominated roles in the original Deathtrap and Lend Me a Tenor, and the musical revivals Little Me and Damn Yankees. Film fans have seen Garber in Godspell (yes, he’s played both Jesus and the Devil), as the ill-fated engineer in Titanic, and a sleazy Harvard professor in Legally Blonde. But most of the free world knows him as Agent Jack Bristow from the beloved ABC series “Alias” starring Jennifer Garner. (TV Guide ranked Bristow 29th on the list of “Top 50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time.”) Come this May, you'll know Victor Garber as Garry Essendine in the Huntington’s anticipated revival of Noël Coward’s Present Laughter. He took a few minutes from his busy schedule recently to talk with Huntington Artistic Associate Justin Waldman about his work, his friendship with Nicholas Martin, and his penchant for devious characters.
INTERVIEW
Victor Garber
JW: Why did you want to do Present Laughter? VG: I always find there’s so much more in Noël Coward’s writing than I had realized. I’ve only done one other Coward play; it was Blithe Spirit, many years ago. I had not seen that many productions of Noël Coward either, but I did see the Broadway production of Present Laughter several years ago with Frank Langella and I thought, ‘that’s a part I would like to to do at some point.’ I never really thought of it again until Nicky and I were talking about working at the Huntington — we had done Macbeth at the Old Globe and I didn’t want to do that again. He said he was thinking about Present Laughter and I said, ‘Well, that’s the one we should do.’ It just seemed the right thing for both of us. It rang true from the moment we talked about it.
Victor Garber; photo: Joan Marcus
What do you see in the rakish actor Garry Essendine? He’s incredibly funny. He’s the kind of person I love to play — sort of an arrogant, completely narcissistic, really almost despicable, yet wonderful human being. He Limelight Literary & Curriculum Guide 2006-2007
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has a vulnerability and a sweetness I really love. It’s daunting because it’s such a huge part, but I’m excited about attempting it.
How did you meet Nicholas Martin and what is he like to work with? We met when Nicholas was still an actor; we did The Importance of Being Earnest at the John Drew Theatre in East Hampton. I just decided then and there that I never wanted to be too far away from him ever, ever again. He’s just the most wonderful person to be with. When he was teaching at Bennington, I was encouraging him to direct more, so I like to take some credit for his being a professional director. He developed those skills later on in life and he’s so brilliant at it. We’ve done two plays together, Macbeth in San Diego and The Royal Family at Williamstown, and I’ve been champing at the bit to work with him again. It seems you move between musicals and plays effortlessly. Is there a difference in the forms for you as a performer? The hard thing about musicals for me is that you have to be in perfect shape every performance. It’s stressful. You can’t have a cold. You can’t have a rough throat. You have to be able to sing clearly. Having just finished Follies, which was only six performances, I thought, ‘What a relief, I don’t have to do this tonight.’ I find that doing a play can be stressful, too. Eight times a week you have to be in perfect condition. But singing is so much more daunting for me. How do you balance your film and TV work with your theatrical endeavors? Theatre completely energizes me and revives me. I have to keep doing some kind of theatre because I think if I stay away too long, I’ll be too terrified to go back. You get so spoiled by being able to do four takes [in a movie], that the idea of acting onstage and not having the option to stop can get very scary. But I’m as comfortable as I can be on a stage. That’s where I feel most comfortable. I never want to stop doing theatre. 10
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Nicky and I were talking ... He said he was thinking about Present Laughter and I said, ‘Well, that’s the one we should do.’ It rang true from the moment we talked about it.
Left to right, Blythe Danner, Marian Seldes, Andrea Martin, Simon Jones, Victor Garber, and Hope Davis in the Williamstown Theatre Festival production of The Royal Family, directed by Nicholas Martin; photo: Richard Feldman
On screens large and small, you have excelled at playing, shall we say, devious characters. I started out playing innocents. Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd is as naïve, sweet, and innocent as can be. {Garber starred in the original Broadway production.} After that, I thought, ‘I want to play more cynical characters because it’s more fun.’ That’s what interests me about these characters. How do they get to be this way? And where is the crack in their façades? To reveal another side of them, that’s the challenge in any of these kinds of roles. We all have lots of things within us that are not always visible to the naked eye, so really getting in touch with some of those qualities in myself I find intriguing as well.
With all your success, you have become quite recognizable. What do you think of the adulation? Honestly, I don’t really think about it. It’s one of the results of being a performer or an actor. In terms of having somebody appreciate what I do, that’s very gratifying. It makes me very happy. I’m grateful when people like what I do. If someone is moved by something I do or is affected by something in a film or on television, that’s just really wonderful. I think of being an actor as being in the service industry, providing a service. You’re telling a story and you hope it will make someone reflect on his or her life and get something out of what you’re doing. If that happens, it’s all that really matters to me.
BACKGROUND
& Objectives Use the following synopsis and lesson objectives to inform your teaching of Present Laughter curriculum. BU Theatre by T. Charles Erickson
Audience Etiquette Because many students have not had the opportunity to view live theatre, we are including an audience etiquette section with each literary/curriculum guide. Teachers, please spend time on this subject since it will greatly enhance your students’ experience at the theatre. 1. How does one respond to a live performance of a play, as opposed to when seeing a film at a local cinema? What is the best way to approach viewing a live performance of a play? What things should you look and listen for? 2. What is the audience’s role during a live performance? How do you think audience behavior can affect an actor’s performance?
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arry Essendine, a famous and respected actor, spends much of his time performing, both on stage and off. His gracious manner attracts many romantic and professional admirers, leading them to believe that he needs their help. Garry accepts this “help” so long as it feeds his ego or his libido. Then he enlists his dearest friends and colleagues in the awkward task of fending off lovesick girls and obsessed fans once their limited purpose has been served. Only when a woman of equal cunning and fortitude threatens to infiltrate Garry’s inner circle is he finally forced to give up his philandering ways.
OBJECTIVES Students will: 1. Identify key issues in Present Laughter including: • symbiotic relationships • life as acting • love and infatuation • midlife crisis 2. Relate themes and issues in the play to their own lives. 3. Analyze the themes and issues within the historical and social context of the play. 4. Participate in hands-on activities that enhance understanding of the production. 5. Evaluate the Huntington Theatre Company’s production of Present Laughter.
3. What do you know about the theatrical rehearsal process? Have you ever participated in one as an actor, singer, director, or technical person? 4. How do costumes, set, lights, sound and props enhance a theatre production? Noël Coward; charicature: Victor Weisz
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Preparation for Present Laughter Use the following ideas to engage your class in thinking about Noël Coward, introducing them to Present Laughter and its major themes.
sidered a farce? Which elements of farce does it seem to lack? What other plays, movies, or television shows would you identify as farcical?
plays many parts.” Is Garry simply playing the “many parts” that life requires, or is his life more of a “stage” than that of the average person?
NOËL COWARD Noël Coward, an English actor, playwright and musical composer, enjoyed a long and successful career. He authored the novel Pomp and Circumstance (1960) and starred in such films as Around the World in 80 Days (1956) and The Italian Job (1969). He was a prolific playwright whose canon includes Hay Fever (1925) and Blithe Spirit (1941). Present Laughter, which is among Coward’s most beloved pieces, is considered semi-autobiographical. In his personal life, Coward, a gay man, surrounded himself with female confidantes, including his secretary and various actresses and collaborators. Look for additional information about Coward’s life. How do you think his life resembled that of his character Garry Essendine? How were they likely different? Why do you think Coward wanted to write Present Laughter?
KEY ISSUES
Love and Infatuation The people in Garry’s life can be separated into two groups: true friends and infatuated admirers. The friends can see through Garry’s antics. They have relied on him for assistance and advice, and they will support and protect him if necessary. It is with true love and care that they attend to his needs. In contrast, the admirers infatuated with Garry only “know” him by virtue of his performances on stage. They do not really understand him or see him as a complete person with vulnerabilities and imperfections. Because their attraction to him is entirely superficial, their efforts to win his affection are misguided and pathetic. Do you think it is difficult for celebrities, such as Garry, to find meaningful relationships? Do you think Garry is fair to his admirers and loyal to his friends?
FARCE Present Laughter borders on farce, a fastpaced theatrical form that draws humor from improbable situations, mistaken identity, slapstick, and innuendo. As in Present Laughter, the setting of a farce is often a single room with various entrances and exits, which means that a “skeleton in the closet” may literally be hiding in the closet! The protagonist in a farce typically goes to great lengths to conceal his misdeeds, causing confusion for the other characters and sometimes even for himself. Yet most farces build toward a grand finale in which the protagonist is neatly relieved from his predicament. Consider Present Laughter and continue your research on the theatrical convention of farce. Why might this play be con12
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Symbiotic Relationships The character Joanna refers to Garry Essendine and his closest friends as “a charming constellation of gossipy little planets circling around the sun.” The sun, of course, is Garry, whose commercial success as an actor makes it possible for Monica, Liz, Henry, and Morris — the “gossipy little planets” — to continue their careers behind the scenes in the theatre world. They return the favor by guiding Garry’s personal and professional choices, whether it be selecting the right parts or turning away ex-lovers. Joanna comes hurtling into this “charming constellation” like a comet. First she creates a love triangle with Morris and Henry, and then she sets her sights on Garry himself. Liz ultimately has to intervene in order to keep the symbiotic relationship between Garry and his closest friends from falling apart. What are the benefits of this sort of relationship? What are the drawbacks? Life as Acting Garry is accused of blurring the lines between acting and reality. Roland says, “You are always acting. That’s what is so fascinating and you are so used to it that you don’t even know it yourself.” It is true that Garry constantly lies to others and exaggerates his emotional state, even to his closest friends. Do you agree that this is a form of “acting”? Why or why not? Shakespeare famously wrote in the play As You Like It: “All the World’s a stage, / And all the men and women merely players: / They have their exits and their entrances; / And one man in his time
Midlife Crisis Approaching his fortieth birthday, Garry exhibits some of the stereotypical symptoms of a “midlife crisis.” He whines endlessly about the aging process, especially his loss of hair. He seems desperate to prolong his good looks and the romantic drama that flows from them. Yet Garry’s midlife crisis is anything but stereotypical. Rather than attempt to recapture the freedom of his youth by abandoning a settled life, Garry actually turns to his wife Liz to save him from the complications caused by an overactive love life. How is Garry’s story nevertheless similar to the typical midlife crisis scenario? What is the main motivation behind such crises: the desire to stave off old age, or merely the desire for change?
Noël Coward and Gertrude Lawrence in Private Lives from the book The Private Lives of Noël and Gertie
OPEN RESPONSE & WRITING
Assignments Instructions to the students: Please answer the following as thoroughly as possible in a wellplanned and carefully written essay. Remember to use topic sentences and examples from the text.
OPEN RESPONSE ASSESSMENT 1. The title of this play comes from a song in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night — “present mirth hath present laughter.” Why is this title ironic? 2. Early on in the play Daphne asks, “What does age matter when people love each other?” Does it matter? 3. Does Garry seem happy or unhappy? Why does everyone think he needs to relax? 4. Why is Garry deeply hurt when Liz says that he needs his friends to keep him from “overacting”? Why is this remark an even greater insult than being told his behavior is undignified? 5. What is Daphne trying to communicate by repeating the poem Garry spoke to her at the beginning of the play?
6. Why is it a betrayal to Garry that Morris and Henry signed the contract for the Forum Theatre? Is this act a greater offense than Garry sleeping with Henry’s wife and Morris’ lover?
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS 1. Is Garry a good friend? He believes that he is a generous person who offers an abundance of good advice. Does he help people like Daphne and Roland? 2. Discuss the significance of Garry’s plans to work in Africa. Does this trip have any symbolic value in the play? For what practical reasons did he agree to go? 3. Select one of the following quotes and discuss it in essay form. “[Garry] says ‘Goodbye’ often enough, but he always manages to give the impression that he doesn’t really mean it.”
“I know that voice Garry, you’ve used it in every play you’ve ever been in.” “My whole life is spent in trying to help people, in giving them wise, sensible advice … and what’s the result? They batten on me!” “In the circuses I’ve been to it was always the ringmaster who cracked the whip, not the clowns.” 4. Choose one of the main characters in Present Laughter and write a journal entry from his or her perspective, expanding on what we already know. Place the character at a key moment in the play, a time critical to propelling the action of the play forward. 5. Write a critical review of the Huntington Theatre Company’s production of Present Laughter and submit it for publication in your school newspaper. Be sure to send the Huntington a copy! Limelight Literary & Curriculum Guide 2006-2007
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MASTERY
Assessment ACT ONE 1. How does Daphne explain her presence in Garry Essendine’s residence to his housekeeper, Miss Erikson and his secretary, Monica Reed? 2. What explanation does Garry give to Daphne as to why their brief relationship must end? 3. To what place is Garry traveling and for what purpose? 4. How is Liz related to Garry? Why does this bother Daphne? 5. What advice does Liz give to Garry about his behavior? 6. Describe the love triangle between Henry, Joanna and Morris. Why does this situation threaten Garry’s career? 7. Who is Roland Maule? Why did Garry agree to meet with him?
8. How does Roland insult Garry? At the end of their conversation, what does Roland ask Garry to do with his script
ACT THREE 16. What is Monica doing for Henry at the opening of Act Three?
9. With whom is Morris having an affair? Why is this troubling to Garry?
17. What action did Daphne take that surprises Garry? Who enters as Daphne hides in the office?
ACT TWO 10. Why does Joanna claim she needs to stay at Garry’s studio? Why is the problem she’s experiencing ironic? 11. What are Joanna’s true intentions for showing up on Garry’s doorstep? Does she get what she wants?
20. According to Garry, why did Joanna feel license to pursue various affairs? 21. What does Joanna do to Garry on her way out the door?
13. How does Liz cover-up Joanna’s whereabouts during the meeting between Garry and Morris?
22. What professional decision did Morris and Henry make without Garry’s permission?
14. Who is Lady Saltburn’s niece? 15. How does Daphne react to Joanna’s exit?
Note to Teachers: The following ideas and questions can be used to further explore the text. They can be used as prompts for class discussion or additional writing assignments. 1. Theatrical farce is defined as a play using greatly exaggerated characters and events to produce broad, absurd humor. Sexual jokes and innuendoes, physical prats and absurd situations are all part of this classical comedy. List three current films or television sitcoms that you believe employ all or most of these criteria. Argue whether or not contemporary films and television shows could be considered farcical, or if this convention no longer exists in modern media. 2. Free-write for five minutes on morality. Consider the following questions as you write: What does it mean to be moral? Who Huntington Theatre Company
19. What reason does Liz give for her decision to travel with Garry to Africa?
12. How does Liz “blackmail” Joanna?
For Further Exploration
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18. Joanna arrives after Daphne and Roland. What does she tell Garry?
23. What romantic twist is revealed as the play ends? Why must Liz and Garry sneak out of the studio together?
defines morality? Do you have to be actively good to be considered moral, or is it enough to refrain from harming others? Is morality a learned behavior? And finally, is Garry Essendine a moral person? 3. After reciting a piece of poetry to the young Daphne, Garry says, “There was nothing Shelley didn’t know about love, not a thing! All the sadness, all the joy, all the unbearable pain.” Research the major English romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley. What happened in his life that made him an expert on heartache and romantic tragedy? How did his personal life inspire his poetry? Do you think Garry approved of Shelley’s behavior? 4. If you were assigned to be the dramaturg for a production of Present Laughter, what research and visual stimulation would you provide for the director and actors at the first rehearsal? How would this information be useful to the actors and design team?
research, collect pictures, words and information to create a collage representing what this trip symbolizes to Garry. Why is Africa “dark” to him? What does he mean when he calls Liz’s gift for the trip “the best sort of Colonial propaganda”? What historical relationship does England have with this continent? Once your collage is finished, share your work with the class.
Original stage set for Present Laughter from the biography Noël Coward
MEDIA
Assessment The following exercises are interactive, hands-on challenges in Drama, Music, Visual Arts and Design. They aim to give students a better understanding of the many kinds of tasks that contribute to a theatrical production.
STAGE COMBAT All fight scenes in a theatrical production must be carefully choreographed so that the actors can simulate a physical confrontation without suffering any bodily harm. Mastering this choreography can take hours of physically demanding practice, which continues until the very day of the performance. Just before the curtain rises, a fight captain (usually a stage manager) runs one last rehearsal, called a “fight call,” to remind the actors of the necessary muscle movements. Unless an actor goes
through this training, they are not prepared to perform stage combat at full speed. Even a slap across the face, such as the one that Joanna gives Garry, requires thorough and focused preparation. In pairs, rehearse the scene in Act Three between Garry and Joanna, including the lines before and after the slap. After rehearsal, share this scene with the class. Consider the following questions: (a) How do you create the illusion of physicality? (b) How do you remain in character while also communicating safety issues with your partner?
VISUAL ARTS Garry refers to his touring in “darkest Africa” with trepidation and disdain. But at other times he seems to be looking forward to his journey there. After some brief
CHARACTERIZATION Have each student choose a character from Present Laughter to portray. As if preparing for the role in rehearsal, they should be asked to answer the following questions about their characters: (a) What is my objective the play, and which obstacles stand in my way? (b) How, if at all, does my character transform during the course of the play? (c) Are there any contradictions inherent in my character? (d) What do other characters think of my character, and what does my character think of them? MUSIC Transitions between scenes often call for musical interludes. Select a piece of music for each scene change. What mood are you trying to evoke? How do your selections relate to the rising action of the play? How does music, in general, enhance the movement of a theatrical work? THE DESIGN PROCESS Part of a director’s job is deciding where and when a play will be set, if not following a traditional interpretation of the script. Once the time and location are selected, the designers brainstorm ideas for sets, props, and costumes. If you were a director, at what time and place would you set Present Laughter? Now take the next step, and consider how you would design the show to reflect the setting. Make a list of props, and sketch a set design for Garry’s studio. Discuss costuming and hair design for the characters in the play. Write a brief paragraph defending your choices for this production. Limelight Literary & Curriculum Guide 2006-2007
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QUESTIONS FOR AFTER
Attending the Performance Note to teachers: After viewing the play, ask the following questions:
C. Were the motivations of the characters clear?
1. About the Play and Production A. What was your overall reaction? Were you surprised? Intrigued? Amused? Explain your reactions. How was the play structured? Did it build to a single climax? Was it episodic? Did this structure help or hinder your understanding of the play? Was the dialogue interesting? Appropriate? Poetic? Were you aware of the imagery and symbolism during the course of the play? Would you have been aware of these devices without previous preparation?
D. What qualities were revealed by the action and speech of the characters?
B. Was the pace and tempo of the production effective and appropriate?
2. About the Characters A. Did the characters touch you personally in any way? Did you care about them? B. Were the characters three-dimensional and believable?
E. Did the characters develop or undergo a transformation during the course of the play? F. In what ways did the characters reveal the themes of the play?
3. About the Set A. Was the set usable and workable? B. Was the set compatible with the production as a whole? Were there any features of the set that distracted from the action of the play? C. Did the design reflect the themes, type and style of the play? D. Were the artistic qualities of unity, balance, line, texture, mass and color used effectively? E. Did the set provide appropriate environment and atmosphere?
F. Was the set used to present any symbolic images or did it simply represent the space in which the action of the play occurred? Did it contain elements of both a “realistic” and a “symbolic” approach?
4. About Lighting and Sound A. What mood or atmosphere did the lighting establish? Was the illumination sufficient? Did the lighting harmonize with, and contribute toward, the unity of the production? B. How did the sound used in the play enhance your overall experience?
5. About Costumes/Makeup/Hairstyles A. Were all of these elements correct in terms of the period fashion? Were they suitable in terms of character and storytelling for the production? B. Did the color/design of the costumes and make-up serve to illuminate the themes, type, and style of the play?
Related Works and Resources You might explore other plays with similar themes and issues, such as:
You might also explore the following media as supplements to this literary and curriculum guide.
Hay Fever by Noël Coward (1925)
Dowden, Edward. The Life of Percy Bysshe Shelley. Kessinger Publishing, 2006.
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (1895) Noises Off by Michael Frayn (1983) The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard (1984)
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Coward, Noël and Gertrude Lawrence. Coward and Lawrence [CD]. Pearl Flapper, 1993. Around The World In 80 Days directed by Michael Anderson. Warner, 1956.
The Theatre Royal Haymarket where Present Laughter had its London premiere in 1943
Lesson Plans Teachers’ note: Choose activities that are appropriate for your classroom period. All assignments are suggestions. Only a teacher knows his or her class well enough to determine the level and depth to which any piece of literature may be examined.
ONE-DAY LESSON PLAN introduces students to the context and major themes of the production. DAY ONE - Introducing the Play 1. Distribute Mastery Assessment (P. 14) for Present Laughter for students to read before, and to review again after attending the performance. Optional: Distribute Vocabulary Handout and ask students to define each word. A vocabulary test could be administered after viewing the play. 2. Read the Synopsis (P. 2) of the play. Discuss other works students have studied with similar themes and issues. 3. If time allows, discuss further pages from the literary guide, narrating highlights for students. FOUR-DAY LESSON PLAN introduces students to the production and then, after viewing the performance, asks them to think more critically about what they have seen. Includes time for class discussion and individual assessment. DAY ONE - Introducing the Play Same as Day One above; completed before seeing the production. DAY TWO - The Production Attend the performance at the Huntington Theatre Company. Homework: Students should answer the Mastery Assessment questions. Limelight Literary & Curriculum Guide 2006-2007
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DAY THREE - Follow-up Discussion Discuss Mastery Assessment answers in class. DAY FOUR - Test Individual Assessment: Choose either several questions from the Open Response (P. 13) or one question from Writing Assignments (P. 13) for students to answer in one class period. Optional: Students may choose one of the For Further Exploration (P. 14) or Media Assessment (P. 15) tasks to complete for extra credit. SEVEN-DAY LESSON PLAN completely integrates Present Laughter into your schedule. Within seven school days, you can introduce the play, assign reading and vocabulary, and assess your students on both a group and individual level. Students will ideally view the play after completing Mastery Assessment questions. DAY ONE - Introducing the play Same as Day One above. Optional: Distribute Vocabulary Handout due on Day Four. Homework: Read Act One and answer corresponding Mastery Assessment questions. DAY TWO - Act One Discuss Act One and answers to Mastery Assessment questions. Homework: Read Act Two and answer corresponding Mastery Assessment questions. DAY THREE - Act Two Discuss Act Two and answers to Mastery Assessment questions. Optional: Complete Vocabulary Handout for homework. Homework: Read Act Three and answer corresponding Mastery Assessment questions. DAY FOUR - Act Three Discuss Act Three and answers to Mastery Assessment questions. during class time. Complete Handout #2 Character Quiz during class time in preparation for viewing the play and the test to follow. Optional: Vocabulary Handout due! DAY FIVE - Attend Performance Optional: Students may choose to complete one of the For Further Exploration or Media Assessment tasks for extra credit. DAY SIX - Review/Preparation Students should answer the Open Response questions as preparation for their test the following day. DAY SEVEN - Test
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Name:_______________________________________________________
Handout 1
VOCABULARY Brazen
Prevaricate
Convalescent
Prurient
Debonair
Resolute
Diffidence
Restive
Drudgery
Sinister
Feckless
Sophistry
Flippant
Sordid
Gambit
Synopsis
Homily
Timorous
Implacable
Tranquil
Lascivious
Turgid
Melancholy
Whimsical
Obtrude
Date:_____________________
Name:_______________________________________________________
Date:_____________________
Handout 2
CHARACTER QUIZ FOR PRESENT LAUGHTER Match the character on the left with the appropriate description from the right.
1. Roland Maule
________
A. Joanna’s husband
2. Lady Saltburn
________
B. Garry’s secretary
3. Daphne Stillington
________
C. A struggling playwright
4. Miss Erikson
________
D. Garry’s wife
5. Fred
________
E. Famous actor
6. Monica Reed
________
F. Theatrical producer
7. Joanna Lyppiatt
________
G. A valet
8. Henry Lyppiatt
________
H. Morris’ lover
9. Morris Dixon
________
I. Daphne’s aunt
10. Liz Essendine
________
J. Garry’s young lover
11. Garry Essendine
________
K. Cook & household servant
ANSWER KEY: 1. C, 2. I, 3. J, 4. K, 5. G, 6. B, 7. H, 8. A, 9. F, 10. D, 11. E