Good theater doesn't get much better than Alan Rickman and Lindsay Duncan in Noel Coward's Private Lives. As directed by Howard Davies, the actors emphasize and embellish the human side of the brisk brittle characters we usually see in this play. Flip dialogue is not enough for these masters of comic timing; they also dig into the underlying conflicts of these smart, wealthy wastrels as their relationship survives through conflict. Act One is one of the funniest ever written. Act Two could be condensed into fifteen minutes, as we watch them dance, bicker, sing and make love in an intimate peek into how these neurotics pass their time. Act Three goes back to quick hilarious action.
The other two actors in the play, the almost husband and wife of the leads, Emma Fielding and Adam Godley, play their roles as cartoons, so we don't really have emotional contact with them, although they are quite amusing. But the show, with its breathtaking sets by Tim Hatley, perfect costumes by Jenny Beavan and fine lighting by Peter Mumford, works so well, I didn't want it to end.
