OK, slap the cuffs on me and take me away. I confess: I don’t think Noel Coward is particularly funny. Most of his plays come across as snore fests, with American actors racing through the dialogue in “what-in-all-of-heaven-could-have-prompted-her-to-go” plummy fake accents.

But Victor Garber…ah, now there’s the actor to pull it off. Silver haired and gorgeous, wrapped in a series of silken dressing gowns, sighing endlessly with ennui, and lamenting his fate as an adored matinee idol, he never makes a false step in a mine field of clichés and done to death stale jokes. The man is flat-out hilarious, right down to his velvet slippers. As the totally self-adoring Garry Essendine, we love him almost as much as he loves himself.

Thank God, because our Leading Man has some major competition for our attention. The Alexander Dodge set is, my dear, to die for. From the moment the curtain rises on the fabulous 1930′s London flat of the obviously very successful stage actor, we are dazzled. The dramatic staircase, the dripping chandelier, the burled wood walls, the painted doors, even the little Art Deco touches that define each space, all is simply too divine. And the Jane Greenwood costume design! Didn’t you honestly just drool for the leading lady’s ensemble, the one with the leopard jacket and the smart leather gloves which matched her dress? Who wouldn’t want to live in the burgundy and gold pajamas? Need I go on?

Director Nicholas Martin has skillfully led his extraordinary ensemble to nimbly bounce from one laugh to the next. Especially fine are Brooks Ashmanskas, as a bizarrely adoring fan with a killer handshake, and Nancy E. Carroll, as the Gooch-like Miss Erikson. Not surprisingly, the always superb Harriet Harris (in photo, top, with Garber) once again brings more to her role than would seem possible, filling every line and action with wit and nuance. Harris has the rare gift of not only delivering a punch line with the greatest of ease, but also creating a vivid inner life for her characters. When she’s off stage, we wonder what she’s doing. And when she returns, we know it’s been something that’s led her back on the scene.

It’s only with finest actors that this type of mannered and dated material comes so vividly to life. When Garry tells a potential lover, “Let me go on,” and “Be quiet, darling” each time she tries to speak, we couldn’t agree more. Yes, it’s true, he’s “always acting, always watching myself go by,” as noted. But oh, he does it so well.

Kids, do not try this at home.

Photos by Joan Marcus

Present Laughter
Roundabout Theatre Company at the American Airlines Theatre,
227 West 42nd Street
212-719-1300
www.roundabouttheatre.org
Limited run through March 21, 2010

Michall Jeffers is an accomplished cultural journalist. Her eponymous cable TV show is syndicated throughout the tri-state area, and features celebrity interviews, reviews, and commentary. She writes extensively, both in print and online. She is an active member of Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, American Theatre Critics Association, International Association of Theatre Critics, Dance Critics Association, and National Book Critics Circle