ALMOST CARRIE ~ Solidly Private Lives

There are some plays that, no matter how many different versions I’ve seen over the years, I will continue to seek out simply because the writing is so extraordinary.  A Streetcar Named Desire comes to mind.  Then there are plays that, although they are very good—masterpieces even—I feel no pressing need to ever see again.  The Importance of Being Earnest is one.  Noël Coward’s Private Lives is another.

In acting school, Private Lives is a staple.  As an undergrad, I watched countless 19-year-old budding thespians blunder their way through marriage and divorce as the two leads, Amanda and Eliot.  I was assigned the role of Amanda several times myself, a character who loves and lives with such vigor that she can barely get through the day.  It was wonderful to work on a big character with a big accent (Standard RP, or the Queen’s English), and I will always have a special place in my heart for the part.  I also saw the acclaimed Alan Rickman/Lindsay Duncan production nine years ago, and it was excellent.  But that felt like enough—I was fairly certain that I wouldn’t be going out of my way to see Private Lives again.

Kim Cattrall as Amanda

I was wrong.  Two weeks ago, my fellow SATC tour guides and I visited the Music Box Theater to witness Kim Cattrall take on the iconic role.  Complete disclosure: we didn’t pay for our tickets.  Kim Cattrall-related events are just one of the many odd perks of working in the Sex industry.  We even had orchestra seats, something I would never shell out the money for if I were paying my own way (if a show isn’t good from the rear mezzanine, then it isn’t good).  I went after work, tired and with trepidation, fairly certain that Kim Cattrall was cast so that fans could revisit Samantha.  The only promising bit seemed to be that the production originated in London, where they tend to take their theatre a bit more seriously.  Don’t get me wrong—I adore Samantha, but Samantha is not Amanda, and to fuse the two would have been a really cheap trick.

I am happy to report that Cattrall checked Ms. Jones at the door and delivered a warm, vibrant, and entirely viable Amanda.  Despite the obvious age issue (Amanda is supposed to be in her 30s, Cattrall is in her 50s), Cattrall’s Amanda hit a string of interesting notes—a kind of tender longing for simplicity, a painful addiction to chaos, and equal (and believable!) doses of sweet and savory fun.  The production as a whole is not ground-breaking (although the Act 2 set is pretty mesmerizing), but if you are unacquainted with Noël Coward’s classic, the current production at the Music Box Theater will provide a solid introduction to this very good play.

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Private Lives is running at the Music Box Theater through February 5th.  239 West 45th Street, Manhattan; (212) 239-6200 or telecharge.com.

Emily Sproch is a writer and a Sex and the City tour guide.  Each Friday, she chronicles the fine line between reality and fiction in her column “Almost Carrie.”