Present Laughter NYC Reviews and Tickets

“An uneven but enjoyable production…Let us give thanks for what Mr. Kline, embodying the capricious god of his own theatrical universe, has wrought. It is hard not to wish that the heavy farcical high jinks that surround him were on his high level…The staging by Mr. von Stuelpnagel brings out the more boisterous aspects of Coward’s comedy, occasionally to hilarious, but just as often labored, ends. And the pace needs to be picked up throughout.”
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“An absolutely splendid revival…The simple act of handing America’s greatest exemplar of comic suavity a role he was born to play is half the battle…Kline is the very model of a star who lets his brilliance illuminate everyone around him…He enlivens each moment with palpable zest and impeccable style, arrogant brio shading into middle-aged insecurity with a twitch of his perfectly trimmed mustache. He must do more Coward or share his secrets.”
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“Overplaying is a quality director Moritz von Stuelpnagel has unfortunately encouraged in most of the supporting cast. But Essendine himself can’t be overplayed, and Kline has a high old time accenting every aspect of the character’s showy personality…‘Present Laughter’ hasn’t aged quite as gracefully as its hero. It’s wonderfully literate, of course…But it’s 20 minutes longer than it has to be, it ends on a false happy-ending note, and its portrait of celebrity is very much of its time."
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“The production takes seriously the mess that radiates from Garry’s narcissism, and with that seriousness refuels the hilarity of the farce that overlays it. In the hands of Kline and a vividly intelligent supporting cast, it’s a great and frank and still modern comedy…The play’s three-act structure is pretty much faultless…If there are still some extravagances to prune and shaggy moments to comb out, they’re minor.”
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"Not only is Mr. Kline’s performance a triumph, but this revival is the best staging of a Coward play—any Coward play—that I’ve ever seen...Essendine is played for truth, not as a caricature, which simultaneously makes him more interesting and even funnier...By having his actors underplay the first half of the show, Mr. von Stuelpnagel heightens the payoff of the second half...By evening’s end, the laughter is loud, continuous and entirely well-deserved."
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“Moritz von Stuelpnagel’s revival is fleet, funny, deliciously cast and over-the-top when it should be–and occasionally when it needn’t be, sweating just a bit too hard to earn the audience’s whoops of pleasure. Fortunately, Coward and Kline are too dynamic a duo to suffer any damage from such picked nits. Chief among the other pleasures are Kate Burton…Peter Francis James and Reg Rogers…Less chief among the pleasures are Kristine Nielsen...Bavesh Pavel.”
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“When your main character is a human peacock, you need an actor who can preen like nobody's business. Paging Kevin Kline, a debonair clown, who's ideally cast as the aging, mirror-mad matinee idol…Deadpan delivery? Funny physical bits? Check. Check…At times you’d like to hush the talky play…Cobie Smulders is saucy and sexy. Kristine Nielsen is reliably hilarious…Under the smart direction of Moritz von Stuelpnagel the production is in fine feather.”
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“A delicious drawing-room comedy…Kline relishes the comic challenge in this snazzy production…Director von Stuelpnagel has assembled a cast of reliable pros who know the drill so well they could pace it out in their sleep. The lesser-skilled younger actors should study the technique of these veterans and bless their lucky stars for the opportunity to do so. Kristine Nielsen, who plays Garry’s secretary, Monica Reed, constitutes a master class.”
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