National Theatre Live will return to Guild Hall Friday evening at 7 with an encore performance of Noel Coward’s comedy “Present Laughter,” filmed as it was performed during a sold-out run at London’s Old Vic in 2019.
As he prepares to embark on an overseas tour, Garry Essendine (Andrew Scott), a star actor, finds his life spiraling out of control. As his many and varied relationships compete for his attention, his few remaining days at home are a chaotic whirlwind of love, sex, panic, and soul-searching.
According to Matt Tzueman’s review in Variety. “Noel Coward’s plays are coming out of the closet. . . . The menage-a-trois in ‘Design for Living’ — Gilda, Otto and Leo, the original “thruple’ — have long stopped masquerading as the best of friends. Now ‘Present Laughter’ gets its turn. With a single, seismic gender-switch, so that aging actor Garry Essendine hops into bed with his agent’s husband, director Matthew Warchus makes explicit something Coward could only imply — and the results are revelatory.”
Of Mr. Scott’s performance, in his review of the production in The Guardian, Michael Billington wrote, “Andrew Scott gives a virtuosic performance in Noel Coward’s imperishable 1943 comedy. He lends the hero, Garry Essendine, a mixture of twinkling charm and driving egomania characteristic of the kind of actor-manager Coward was portraying and possibly of the author himself.”
In addition to Mr. Scott, the cast includes Sophie Thompson, Luke Thallon, Suzie Toase, and Indira Varma. Matthew Warchus directs.
The running time is 180 minutes, including intermission. Tickets are $20, $18 for members.
Guild Hall has also announced that Susan Stroman has been named the new president of its Academy of the Arts, with Eric Fischl, the standing president, stepping down after a long and productive tenure.
Ms. Stroman is a five-time Tony Award-winning director and choreographer whose honors include Olivier, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Lucille Lortel, and a record-setting six Astaire Awards. She directed and choreographed Mel Brooks’s “The Producers,” which won 12 Tony Awards, including best direction and best choreography.
“I am deeply honored to accept the role of President of the Academy of the Arts at Guild Hall,” said Ms. Stroman. “As a director and choreographer, I have long championed the arts, and I am thrilled to continue this legacy by leading Guild Hall’s prestigious Academy. I look forward to collaborating with fellow artists, fostering creativity, and advancing the mission of this cherished cultural institution.”
Past Academy Presidents have included Broadway producer Roy Furman and television executive Ed Bleier. During his tenure, Eric Fischl put forth his vision of supporting the next generation of artists by helping to establish the Guild House Artist-in-Residence program in 2016, for which Academy members serve as nominators and mentors.
Guild Hall’s annual Academy of the Arts Awards Dinner will be celebrated in New York City in April 2025.
