I knew very little about this going in other than it’s by Noel Coward and, after watching it, the scandal it caused during its English premiere has long since fizzled out. It can’t decide whether it’s a farce or a comedy of manners, but in both cases, they come up short. While it is only 90 minutes, I did find myself checking my watch a few times. It took about 40 minutes for the action to really get cooking. By the time you’ve reached the denouement, you might be smirking a little, but mostly just shrugging.
The highlight of this show is watching Byrne and O’Hara get progressively drunk on champagne and slowly unleash the years of pent up lust they’ve had for their French lover, culminating in a hilarious hangover sequence that elicits many laughs from the audience. Chimo is a hoot as the nosy, name dropping maid and seems to be the only one that’s off and rolling from the jump. There are some tart exchanges in there as well, between all the ladies. Mandavi and Fitzgerald essentially feel like set dressing because I could probably envision the play functioning fine enough without them. When Consuelos comes in, he definitely knows how to play the mysterious lover with panache, but it amounts to little more than an extended cameo in the last 10-ish minutes (though it creates some hilarious reactions from the leading ladies). I can also forgive his general European accent since the ladies say he’s “cosmopolitan” and also “I hope he’s worked on his English” - so that was a clever out written by Coward.
The set is indeed gorgeous, especially up close when you can see the finer details. But overall, the direction feels a bit wandering and aimless. It feels more languid than a Coward comedy should. I hope they tighten the pace a bit, but I think that’s probably the best they can do.
I didn’t hate this by any means and it was a pleasurable 90 minutes, but it’s not at the top of the list of things I’d recommend to my friends unless they can get a cheap ticket and want something that isn’t mentally taxing. In terms of awards, I’d like to think Chimo has the best chance of getting in. With Byrne and O’Hara above the title and stacked against Manville, Metcalf (LBRR), Coon, and Flood, in the mix, it might be a one or the other situation
Stage Door: Everyone except Mandavi. It reminded me of the old days at the non-profits on Broadway where the crowds were much smaller (regardless of the star). Everyone was quite nice.
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Updated On: 4/5/26 at 05:41 PM