On a balmy summer evening on the northern coast of France, two honeymooning British couples settle into side-by-side suites, only for one half of each pair to discover a dreadful coincidence: their ex-spouse is staying next door. Thus begins Noel Coward’s sexy, boisterous comedy “Private Lives.” The play premiered in 1930 and has been revived many times in London and on Broadway, with a who’s who of theatrical royalty cycling through the leading roles over the years. I first saw the show in 2013 at London’s Gielgud Theatre, where Toby Stephens trod the boards just steps away from the theater where his parents — Maggie Smith and Robert Stephens — co-starred in a 1972 revival. Talk about longevity!
In Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, Raven Theatre opens its 40th season with a new revival, directed by Ian Frank and featuring Emily Tate and Rudy Galvan as exes Amanda Prynne and Elyot Chase. Matthew Martinez Hannon plays Amanda’s new husband, Victor Prynne, and Alexis Green appears as Sibyl Chase, Elyot’s new wife. While there is little to fault in their individual performances — Tate is particularly charismatic — the four do not manage to achieve more than the sum of their parts, unfortunately.
To make the explosive dynamics of this show work, Elyot and Amanda should have such white-hot chemistry that they literally cannot resist one another. Their previous marriage of three years was equal parts adoration, lust, jealousy and animosity. After their chance meeting on their second honeymoons, each unsuccessfully begs their new spouse to leave the hotel with them immediately, knowing that only trouble can come of being near their ex for any length of time. Sure enough, the old flame is rekindled during their moonlit reunion, and the two divorcees run away together by the end of the first act.
Inevitably, they fall back into their antagonistic rhythms after a few days, picking fights in Amanda’s Paris apartment where they are hiding out. Galvan and Tate share a playful rapport and a level of comfort that makes it easy to believe these characters were previously married, but not that they would torpedo their new marriages to get back together. This lack of underlying sexual tension makes their arguments fall a bit flat, despite the actors’ energetic performances.
More physicality would also help to ramp up the script’s biting humor. Amanda and Elyot fight like petulant children in this production, tossing bits of pillow stuffing and crumpled paper that rarely hit the other person. In the original stage directions, Amanda smashes a record over Elyot’s head, and they slap each other and wrestle around the apartment, shattering lamps and vases. Although I understand the urge to tone down depictions of domestic violence, Frank’s staging holds back more than necessary.
The show certainly looks stylish — in the hotel scenes, Joe Schermoly’s gauzy set is bathed in pink, blue and purple lighting designed by Becca Jeffords. The time period is ambiguous; Gregory Graham’s costume designs nod to the original 1930s setting, but Celine Dion’s 1993 cover version of “The Power of Love” is the nostalgic song that drives Elyot and Amanda back into each other’s arms. The ballad serves up a hilarious dance scene complete with Rose and Jack’s famous “Titanic” pose.
In an odd artistic choice, French prologues are inserted at the beginning of each act, delivered by Bradley Halverson, who plays the small role of Amanda’s maid, Louise. My understanding of the language is limited, but some of these lines seem to be French translations of the script’s introductory stage directions. While it gives Halverson slightly more stage time, this dialogue is neither translated nor delivered with context clues that would help an English-speaking audience make much sense of it.
Ultimately, Coward’s play presents two quite different pictures of matrimony. There’s the “wise, and kind, and undramatic” love that Elyot envisions with his second wife — “Something steady and sweet, to smooth out your nerves when you’re tired. Something tremendously cozy; and unflurried by scenes and jealousies.” This stands in stark contrast to Amanda and Elyot’s relationship: “We were like two violent acids bubbling about in a nasty little matrimonial bottle,” she says of their previous marriage.
In the end, it’s unclear whether the sweet, cozy kind of love is really attainable or if such domestic tranquillity is just a front. “I think very few people are completely normal really, deep down in their private lives,” Amanda speculates. Later, she admits to feeling “rather scared of marriage.” This dark strand is woven throughout the play, exposing the heartache and strife that can accompany the most intimate relationships. At Raven Theatre, neither the passionate desire nor the fever-pitched arguments come across strongly enough to drive this point home.
Review: “Private Lives” (2.5 stars)
When: Through Nov. 13
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Where: Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark Street
Running time: 2 hours, 5 minutes
Tickets: $40 at raventheatre.com or 773-338-2177