“Oh, Coward!” is all champagne and no fizz. A celebration of the drollery of English writer and bon vivant Noel Coward, the production at Olney comes off as the polar opposite of a marvelous party. It feels labored and forced, with the cast of three straining to achieve the insouciant lightness so often associated with Mr. Coward.
The show is something of a cream puff as well, a pastiche of Mr. Coward’s music hall ditties, vermouth-dry witticisms and memorable lines from his most famous plays. Metrostage in Alexandria did something similar — and better — last year with “Noel and Gertie,” which explored the life-long relationship between Mr. Coward and muse Gertrude Lawrence with the right amount of hauteur and style.
At Olney, under the direction of Dallett Norris, Mr. Coward’s sparkling accomplishments are a very dreary business indeed. At least the show looks the part. Scenic designer James Fouchard has created an art deco nightclub set in black and rose-gold so gorgeous you half-expect Fred and Ginger to waltz through at any moment. A curved drapery parts to reveal the small orchestra, consisting of two baby grand pianos and a percussionist.
Through song and recitation, Valerie Leonard, Thomas Adrian Simpson and John Leslie Wolfe whip us through the high points of Mr. Coward’s life — his days as a child actor, the influence of the Edwardian music hall, travel, World War I, grand success as an actor and playwright, the loves of his life, and of course, his enduring ardor for the theater.
Especially in the first act, “Oh Coward!” is heavy on the unsubtle music hall rhythms and quickly becomes monotonous, despite the ticklish linguistic charms of such songs as “What Ho Mrs. Brisket,” “Has Anybody Seen Our Ship?,” and “The Stately Homes of England.” A high point in the first act is “Sail Away,” a rueful song about the longing to escape, sung with exquisite harmony by the cast.
With this production, the cast largely oversells the songs and dialogue, as if trying desperately to make a case for Mr. Coward’s genius. One assumes the audience knows the guy’s talented, so relax and have fun with it.
The spoken scenes are particularly leaden, with the actors over-emoting and putting unnecessary gravity onto the lines. One of Mr. Coward’s loveliest songs, “Mad About the Boy,” is sung with such hankie-wringing, torch song pathos by Miss Leonard it’s as if there’s a thought-balloon projected over her head that reads “I’d Rather be Doing Chekhov.”
While it’s always cheering to hear a Noel Coward ditty, they are not the easiest songs in the world to perform. The breeziness must be effortless, and the ironies and touches of seriousness in his compositions need to be underplayed, almost tossed off.
Like Oscar Wilde, Mr. Coward’s works are nearly airtight in their perfection. They seem like confections, but one false note and the whole effect is shattered. Unfortunately, that’s the case with Olney’s staging of “Oh, Coward!,” which is about as airy as a closed-off room.
*1/2
WHAT:”Oh, Coward!” words and music by Noel Coward, devised by Roderick Cook
WHERE:Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Sundays, 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Through May 16.
TICKETS:$15 to $36
PHONE:301/924-3400
MAXIMUM RATING: FOUR STARS
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