Theater Review – May 14, 2023

COWARD’S RAZOR-SHARP “PRIVATE LIVES” SUFFERS A BLAND ATC STAGING

“PRIVATE LIVES”
Arizona Theatre Company, Center Stage, Herberger Theater Center
Phoenix, AZ

By Chris Curcio
Theater Critic

When a production of Noel Coward’s 1930 “Private Lives” is witty and brilliant, audience guffaws start immediately as the complicated characters, limpid dialogue, and wacky plot are revealed.   But all the play’s comic malarkey is missing in the Arizona Theatre Company dry staging where KJ Sanchez’s listlessly lethargic direction traps the slyly amusing play.  Add bland acting, sketchy sets, and drab costuming that all fail to bring the play to its comically spiffy elegance.

The play … Continue Reading