A-LISTS theatre
PRIVATE LIVES
by tony reverditto
“Researchers insist that the piece is laced with gay
innuendo; although there is no explicit
reference of homosexu- ality in the play.
” 20 RAGE monthly | MARCH 2011
REVEALED! P Private Lives is a comedy of manners written by Noël
Coward which debuted at the Phoenix Theatre in London in 1930. Shortly thereafter the play was revived in the West End in 1931 and later six times on Broadway. Private Lives is considered a prime example of the sophisticated comedies of Noël Coward, one of the most-prominent dramatists of his era. An overwhelming critical and commercial success, it remains a standard of repertory and non-professional theatre companies everywhere, entertaining audiences for over eighty years. The body of the play revolves around a divorced couple,
Elyot and Amanda, as they take their respective honey- moons to second spouses. They not only end up in the same hotel, but have adjoining rooms. While there, they realize they are still in love and should have never divorced. Aban- doning their new spouses, they run off together, ultimately discovering that there was a reason their relationship didn’t work. Before long, they are caught up in the same violent arguments that plagued their stormy marriage, reliving an inescapable cycle of love and hate. There has been much speculation that aspects of Private
Lives symbolize homosexuality. When I acted in Private Lives in college, I didn’t dissect the script to the degree that many experts have. I can neither confirm nor deny these claims, but I wanted to put it out there for the community to explore. Researchers insist that the piece is laced with gay innuendo; although there is no explicit reference of homosexuality in the play. Author and feminist, Penny Farfan suggests that
“Noël Coward’s play is a queer comedy and is not as straight- forward, clear-cut, or unambiguous in its representation of gender and sexuality as it might initially appear. The first evidence of this is the work’s subversion of heterosexual relations, is that none of the couples in the play are able to make their relationships last (is she insinuating that gays are incapable?). Coward uses a great deal of exaggeration in his play, illus-
trating the “camp sensibility”. According to Steven Sontag (yet another expert), camp is very often associated with homosexuality. It is also expressed in Private Lives through Amanda and Elyot’s dialogue about what is “normal” (gotta watch for that one). The character Amanda insists that “very few people are completely normal deep down in their private lives”. Her commentary clearly draws on the idea of abnormality in everyone’s personal - or sexual lives. She undercuts the concept that there is such a thing as “normal” sexuality, thus condoning experimentation and irregular- ity - including homosexuality. Elyot later tells Amanda that she should always laugh at all the futile moralists, who try to make life unbearable. Elyot’s dismissal of an “alternative” sort of moralism could be defined as homosexuality. I thought that I knew the undercurrent of the show, but I must admit it will be interesting to watch the show with fresh eyes.
Runs March 15 through April 10 at The Laguna Beach Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach Tickets:
949.497.ARTS (2787) or
lagunaplayhouse.com
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