‘Noel and Gertie’: Tasty Nibbles for Nostalgia Lovers
“I’m an enormously talented man,” Noel Coward once observed, “and there’s no use pretending that I’m not.” That spirit of cocky self-confidence animates “Noel and Gertie,” a pleasant but lightweight revue cobbled together by Sheridan Morley from Coward’s writings and compositions.
Chronicling the lifelong friendship between the playwright and actress Gertrude Lawrence — who starred in his “Private Lives” and “Tonight at 8:30″ — “Noel and Gertie” is a misty-eyed tribute to Coward’s personal flair, to his era and to the magic of showbiz. While making no incisive observations about either of the artists it portrays, it provides a framework for interwoven scenes from Coward scripts and for some of his classic songs.
Alexandria’s MetroStage has given this theatrical bauble an inoffensive, visually stylish production that should please Coward fans, Anglophiles, those nostalgic for the early 20th century and anyone who enjoys looking at martini glasses. Under the direction of Nancy Robillard, Carl Randolph makes a suave Coward who seems as comfortable dancing the Charleston as he is when he stands about in his tuxedo, narrating the basic overview of the playwright’s life. To be persnickety, his English accent does wax and wane a trifle, and as a singer he suffers in comparison with his co-star, Tracy McMullan, who plays Lawrence.
Possessed of a clear, strong voice that brings dignified expressiveness to such classics as “Mad About the Boy,” McMullan cuts a statuesque figure onstage, and she’s animated enough to at least suggest Lawrence’s reputed eccentricities. Lawrence — who is perhaps best remembered as the original Anna in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The King and I” — possessed comic genius, according to “Noel and Gertie,” which quotes Coward as saying that his friend never played a scene the same way twice. It was perhaps this trait that inspired one of the droll telegrams that Coward had the habit of dashing off — when declining a Hollywood mogul’s suggestion for a likely Lawrence vehicle, Coward riposted: “UNABLE TO WRITE LIFE OF SARAH BERNHARDT FOR GERTRUDE LAWRENCE AS BUSY WRITING LIFE OF SAINT TERESA FOR MAE WEST.”
Although such examples of the playwright’s crackling wit do find their way into Morley’s script, “Noel and Gertie” favors Coward in poignant mode, as in the short play “Still Life,” which was turned into the movie “Brief Encounter.” By sampling bittersweet scenes of love lost and love remembered, “Noel and Gertie” borrows a kind of critical weight for the Coward-Lawrence story, which it turns into a romance minus the sex (Coward, of course, was gay).
The arc of this platonic passion finds a suitably elegant visual match in Kate Turner-Walker’s period costumes and in Tracie Duncan’s art deco set, which includes such luxurious details as a vase of peacock feathers and a bar laden with a glowing silver cocktail set. Music director Alfredo Pulupa also has a place on stage, behind a gorgeous grand piano, whence he cranks out accompaniments for songs that range from the comic “Has Anybody Seen Our Ship?” to the sad and wise “If Love Were All.”
As this description suggests, “Noel and Gertie” is rich on atmosphere, and if it is short on substance, that should annoy only those who would object to, say, eating a dinner created entirely of hors d’oeuvres.
Noel and Gertie, devised by Sheridan Morley with words and music by Noel Coward. Directed by Nancy Robillard. Music direction by Alfredo Pulupa. Sets, Tracie Duncan, costumes, Kate Turner-Walker, lighting, Ayun Fedorcha. At 1201 N. Royal St., Alexandria, through Dec. 14. Call 1-800-494-8497 or visit www.boxofficetickets.com.
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