{"id":4026,"date":"2018-09-11T16:16:24","date_gmt":"2018-09-11T16:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/?page_id=4026"},"modified":"2019-06-11T23:05:25","modified_gmt":"2019-06-11T23:05:25","slug":"private-lives","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/?page_id=4026","title":{"rendered":"Private Lives"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In this effervescent comedy, once-married Elyot and Amanda\u2014now honeymooning with new spouses at the same hotel\u2014reignite the old spark and impulsively elope \u2026 only to wonder a few days later whether love, jealousy or anger is the hotter passion. Running time approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes with intermission.<\/p>\r\n\n<div class=\"organic-accordion\"><p><a href=\"#general-info\">GENERAL INFO<\/a><\/p>\n            <div id=\"general-info\">\n            \t\r\n<div class=\"organic-column one-half\">\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4232\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Poster-Private-Lives-WORKING-1-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Poster-Private-Lives-WORKING-1-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Poster-Private-Lives-WORKING-1-768x1187.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Poster-Private-Lives-WORKING-1-663x1024.jpg 663w, https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Poster-Private-Lives-WORKING-1-414x640.jpg 414w, https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Poster-Private-Lives-WORKING-1.jpg 1650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<!--<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Poster-Private-Lives-06-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4002\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Poster-Private-Lives-06-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Poster-Private-Lives-06-414x640.jpg 414w, https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Poster-Private-Lives-06.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/>-->\r\n<h5>May 23 &#8211; June 9, 2019<\/h5>\r\n<h5>by No\u00ebl Coward<\/h5>\r\n<h5>\u00a0<\/h5>\r\n<h5>directed George A. Loizides<\/h5>\r\n<h5><\/div> <div class=\"organic-column one-half last\"><\/h5>\r\n<!---<div style=\"width: 100%;\">&#091;button color=\"dark-red\" size=\"medium\" align=\"left\" link=\"https:\/\/web.ovationtix.com\/trs\/pr\/999309\"&#093;Buy Tickets&#091;\/button&#093;<\/div>\r\n<h5>&#091;br&#093;\r\n&#091;br&#093;\r\n&#091;br&#093;\r\n<strong>or purchase tickets at OvationTix: 866.811.4111<\/strong> <strong>--->\r\n\r\nCAST:<\/strong><\/h5>\r\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-4026 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Andrew-Botsford-copy.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Andrew-Botsford-copy-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-4276\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-4276'>\n\t\t\t\tAndrew Botsford\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Rosemary-Cline.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Rosemary-Cline-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-4280\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-4280'>\n\t\t\t\tRosemary Cline\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Matthew-Conlon-1.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Matthew-Conlon-1-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-4278\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-4278'>\n\t\t\t\tMatthew Conlon\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Rebecca-Edana-1.jpeg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Rebecca-Edana-1-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-4279\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-4279'>\n\t\t\t\tRebecca Edana\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Diana-Marbury-1.jpeg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Diana-Marbury-1-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-4277\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-4277'>\n\t\t\t\tDiana Marbury\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\r\n<h5><\/div><div class=\"clearboth\"><\/div> \n            <\/div>\n<p><a href=\"#production-staff\">PRODUCTION STAFF<\/a><\/p>\n            <div id=\"production-staff\">\n            \t Director &#8211; GEORGE A. LOIZIDES <br \/>\r\nSet Design &#8211; SEAN MARBURY <br \/>\r\nLighting Design &#8211; SEBASTIAN PACZYNSKI <br \/>\r\nSet Decor &#8211; DIANA MARBURY <br \/>\r\nCostume Design &#8211; TERESA LEBRUN <br \/>\r\nRehearsal Stage Manager &#8211; CARLENE DESCALO <br \/>\r\nProduction Stage Manager &#8211; AMANDA GRIEMSMANN <br \/>\r\nSet Construction &#8211; SEAN MARBURY, EDUIN EUCEDA, NICK FITZGERALD, AARON LEVINE,SEAMUS NAUGHTON, FRANKLIN SENGARIMA <br \/>\r\nSound Design &#8211; SEAMUS NAUGHTON <br \/>\r\nLighting\/Sound Tech &#8211; AARON LEVINE <br \/>\r\nBackstage Crew &#8211; SYDNEY SHEREN <br \/>\r\nBox Office &#8211; LISA CARR <br \/>\r\nProduction Graphics &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.designingjoe.com\">JOE PALLISTER-DESIGNINGJOE<\/a> <br \/>\r\nHouse Manager &#8211; JULIA MORGAN ABRAMS <br \/>\r\nProduction Photographer &#8211; TOM KOCHIE \n            <\/div>\n<p><a href=\"#dinner-and-theater-packages:\">DINNER AND THEATER PACKAGES:<\/a><\/p>\n            <div id=\"dinner-and-theater-packages:\">\n            \t\r\n<strong>The Hampton Theatre Company<\/strong>, in conjunction with our local libraries, offers special Dinner (&amp; Lunch) and Theater Packages, which offer wonderful events at terrific prices. There are four packages available for\u00a0<strong>PRIVATE LIVES.<\/strong> <strong> SOLD OUT! The\u00a0Rogers Memorial Library<\/strong>\u00a0in Southampton and the\u00a0<strong>Westhampton Free Library<\/strong>\u00a0in Westhampton Beach are offering a dinner package on\u00a0<strong>Friday, June 7.<\/strong> Dinner is at\u00a0Stone Creek Inn\u00a0in East Quogue at 5 pm, followed by the show at 7 pm. The cost for dinner (including tax and tip) and show is $60. To reserve, please send your check, for $60 per person, to Hampton Theatre Company, PO Box 400, Quogue, NY 11959. Please include your name, address, phone number and email address so that we may email you your tickets. Please reference \u201cJune 7 dinner\/theater event.\u201d\u00a0<strong>Reservations and payment required by May 31. SOLD OUT! <\/strong> <strong>The\u00a0Hampton Bays Public Library<\/strong>\u00a0is offering a dinner package on\u00a0<strong>Thursday, June 6<\/strong>. Dinner is at\u00a0<strong>1 North Steakhouse<\/strong>\u00a0in Hampton Bays at 5 pm, followed by the show at 7 pm. The cost for the dinner (including tax and tip) and show is $60. To register, please call the Hampton Bays Library at 631-728-6241. <strong>The\u00a0Quogue Library<\/strong>\u00a0is offering a dinner package on\u00a0Thursday, May 30. Dinner is at <strong>The\u00a0Quogue Club<\/strong>\u00a0at 5 pm, followed by the show at 7 pm. The cost for dinner (including tax and tip) and show is $70. To register, please call the Quogue Library at 631-653-4224 ext. 101. <strong>The\u00a0Hampton Theatre Company<\/strong>\u00a0is offering a lunch and theater package in conjunction with the Saturday matinee on\u00a0<strong>Saturday, June 8<\/strong>. Lunch is at <strong>The\u00a0Quogue Club\u00a0at the Hallock House<\/strong> in Quogue at 12:30 pm, followed by the show at 2:30 pm. The cost for lunch (including tax and tip) and show is $65. To reserve, please send your check, for $65 per person, to Hampton Theatre Company, PO Box 400, Quogue, NY 11959. Please include your name, address, phone number and email address so that we may email you your tickets. Please reference \u201cJune 8 lunch\/theater event.\u201d\u00a0<strong>Reservations and payment required by June 1.<\/strong><\/h5>\r\n\n            <\/div>\n<p><a href=\"#previews-and-reviews\">PREVIEWS and REVIEWS<\/a><\/p>\n            <div id=\"previews-and-reviews\">\n            \t\r\n<h3>HTC Production of \u2018Private Lives\u2019 Bubbles Like a Gin Fizz<\/h3>\r\n<p><strong>By Lorraine Dusky<\/strong> <br \/>\r\n<strong>The East Hampton &amp; The Southampton Press<\/strong> <br \/>\r\nNo\u00ebl Coward\u2019s frothy m\u00e9lange of the high life and acerbic wit is Hampton Theatre Company\u2019s send off to summer at the Quogue Community House. A foursome of actors that have worked together well before\u2014Rosemary Cline, Andrew Botsford, Matthew Conlon and Rebecca Edana\u2014shine in one of Coward\u2019s best plays, \u201cPrivate Lives.\u201d <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nThis is English satire at his best. Droll and brittle spouses\u2014Ms. Cline and Mr. Botsford as the leads, Amanda and Elyot\u2014go at each other with white-hot fury, no fangs recoiled, always ready to give as well as each gets. Not that they don\u2019t love each other, oh, they do, but they just can\u2019t help themselves finding the pinprick that becomes a stab wound that leads to one more bleeding fracas. It\u2019s the flapper era of the \u201930s when women characters were written imbued with strong mettle and pizazz, and Coward knew how to do that with relish.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nThings start off with an improbable set up as the divorced Amanda and Elyot discover they are honeymooning five years after their divorce with their new spouses in adjoining hotel rooms in Deauville. Each has married a totally ordinary kind of person\u2014Amanda is there with a pipe-smoking country squire Victor (Mr. Conlon), and Elyot has his ladylike English rose Sibyl (Ms. Edana). Paired as such, Amanda and Elyot are destined to have normal, peaceful lives with their new partners. But \u201cnormal\u201d is what we know both Elyot and Amanda will find stultifying.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nBefore the wedding night is over and the new marriages (supposedly) consummated, Amanda and Elyot will find their flame still burns brightly, and they run off together to Paris, where Amanda conveniently has an apartment. The others will find out soon enough they have been jilted. End of Act One. <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nBut Act Two reveals soon enough that life for Amanda and Elyot is less than bliss\u2014passion is interruptus with the speed of a quick riposte. Fisticuffs sometimes follow as satire rolls into farce. <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nAt some point, Elyot brings up that they are not living in sin according to the Catholic Church\u2014since Catholics don\u2019t recognize divorce, they are still married in the eyes of the church. Amanda points out they that they aren\u2019t Catholic, but Elyot nonetheless notes, that \u201cit\u2019s nice to think they\u2019d sort of back us up.\u201d<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nIn the general folderol of their conversation, the topic veers to numbers of liaisons after their divorce; Elyot makes a fuss over Amanda\u2019s flippancy regarding hers. His affairs don\u2019t matter, he says, because \u201cI\u2019m a man.\u201d A second later he says, \u201cIt doesn\u2019t suit women to be promiscuous.\u201d She retorts: \u201cIt doesn\u2019t suit men for women to be promiscuous.\u201d Notably, Coward made Amanda\u2019s last name \u201cPrynne,\u201d a surname shared with poor, shamed Hester of \u201cThe Scarlet Letter.\u201d<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nWho can resist such wit? Not me. Ms. Cline and Mr. Botsford have handled tart dialogue before with the piquancy it demands, and here under the taut and swift direction of George A. Loizides, they do not let us down. Both gifted comic actors, they play extremely well against each other. Mr. Conlon and Ms. Edana are rather the fools out-to-lunch here, but before the end they will have their own opportunity to devolve into a well-suited match made by happenstance. <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nDiana Marbury makes a brief appearance as Amanda\u2019s maid, muttering in French her disapproval of the whole affair. Teresa LeBrun has outfitted everyone in swanky period dress. <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nThis naughty second scene\u2014where both Amanda and Elyot, still married to others, canoodle in silk pajamas and never go out, even at night, was considered risqu\u00e9 in England by the standards of 1930, when the play was first produced there. Coward pled his case to the censor by acting it out himself, not a trial for him, as he had essentially written the role of Elyot for himself. The London three-month run Coward agreed to be in\u2014he hated long theater runs\u2014sold out in a week. His pal, the celebrated actress Gertrude Lawrence, was Amanda, and the role seems to have been written for her, since a record of their sparring even before the play opened is well recorded in the voluminous telegrams she sent him. When she first read the play, she wrote him: \u201cthere\u2019s nothing wrong with it that can\u2019t be fixed.\u201d He telegraphed back that the only thing that was going to be \u201cfixed\u201d was her performance.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nSince then as everyone knows, \u201cPrivate Lives\u201d has been done a zillion times, had Broadway revivals every so often with actors ranging from Tallulah Bankhead to Elizabeth Taylor, won several awards, been made into a successful movie, and been a mainstay of summer stock and regional theater. It\u2019s no wonder. The writing\u2019s too delicious to resist, strong, stringent roles are always in demand, and witty banter between men and women as equals are beloved with good reason by audiences the world over.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nDon\u2019t expect grand themes or deep questions plunged. The fun is in the writing, whether the lovers are cooing in cohesion or racing headlong into another spat. \u201cPrivate Lives\u201d may be slick and superficial, but who cares? It makes for an amusing night out.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\n<\/p>\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h3>&#8220;Private Lives,&#8221; A Perfect Ending to a Perfect Theatrical Season<\/h3>\r\n<p><strong>You don&#8217;t want to miss Hampton Theatre Company&#8217;s production of No\u00ebl Coward&#8217;s classic comedy.<\/strong> <strong>By Cindi Sansone-Braff <br \/>\r\nWesthampton-Hampton Bays Patch Contributor | May 26, 2019<\/strong><br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nAfter spending the last few months listening to The No\u00ebl Coward BBC Radio Collection of plays, which included many of his big hits, such as: &#8220;Blythe Spirit,&#8221; &#8220;Hay Fever,&#8221; &#8220;Still Life,&#8221; and &#8220;Design for Living,&#8221; I was thrilled to learn that the Hampton Theatre Company was ending their award-worthy 2018-2019 season with &#8220;Private Lives.&#8221; This crowd-pleasing, screwball comedy, which Coward penned in less than a week, can be seen at the Quogue Community Hall now until June 9th.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\n&#8220;Private Lives&#8221; is a 1930, three-act, romantic comedy set in France. Under George A. Loizides apt direction this classic comedy, about the foibles of French high society, truly came to life. Modern audiences will be pleasantly surprise to learn just how contemporary this play still sounds and feels.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nThe action revolves around a divorced couple, Amanda and Elyot, who are honeymooning with their new spouses. As fate would have it, they&#8217;re booked in adjacent hotel rooms with side-by-side balconies.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nWhen Amanda and Elyot were married, they had a toxic and tumultuous relationship, but running into each other after five years of separation stirs up old feelings, and the intense chemistry between them is just too much for either one of them to resist.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nThe two sets used in this production, the hotel balcony and a Paris apartment, were artfully designed by Sean Marbury. Diana Marbury&#8217;s set decor is truly amazing, which added to the overall believability of this play. The lighting design by Sebastian Paczynski is exceptional, especially the scene where the morning sunlight pours through the Paris apartment window. The entire cast is fabulous. Andrew Botsford plays Elyot Chase, a jaded, sarcastic, and a times, mean-spirited man, whose love and passion for his ex-wife could very well prove to be the death of him. Mr. Botsford brings immense wit and charisma to this role, and with his natural charm reminded me of one of the legendary Old Hollywood actors, who we still love to watch on Turner Classics Movies.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nRosemary Cline is brilliant as Amanda Prynne, and she looked stunning in the amazing, 1930 outfits designed by Teresa Lebrun. Cline and Botsford have a natural onstage chemistry, which magnetized the audience. The fight scenes, particularly the hard-to-watch violent ones, between Amanda and Elyot, were well played, well staged, and painfully convincing. Matthew Conlon, as Victor, the jilted husband, got some of the best laughs in the play. He exhibits a great sense of comedic timing, and his expressive body language speaks volumes. Rebecca Edana is very believable as Sibyl, the young, naive wife, who gets dumped by Elyot on her honeymoon. Ms. Edana knows how to make us laugh, and she knows how to get the audience to empathize with her as well.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nDiana Marbury, as Louise, the befuddled maid in Amanda&#8217;s Paris flat, delivers her bits of French dialogue with such vivid facial expressions, body language, and gestures that we don&#8217;t need to know French to know what she&#8217;s thinking, and what she&#8217;s thinking isn&#8217;t good! <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nYou don&#8217;t want to miss this witty, well-acted, wonderful comedy! <strong>To reserve tickets, call OvationTix at 1-866-811-4111.<\/strong> <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\n<\/p>\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h3>Noel Coward&#8217;s &#8216;Private Lives&#8217; in Quogue<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div id=\"attachment_4289\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4289\" class=\"wp-image-4289 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/GL-RE-AB-RC-MC-by-CS.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/GL-RE-AB-RC-MC-by-CS.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/GL-RE-AB-RC-MC-by-CS-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4289\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">George Loizides, Rebecca Edana, Andrew Botsford, Rosemary Cline, and Matthew Conlon rehearsing a scene from &#8220;Private Lives&#8221; in Quogue last week. photo: Carlene DeScalo<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>By Mark Segal <br \/>\r\nEast Hampton Star<\/strong> <br \/>\r\nIn \u201cPrivate Lives,\u201d as in many of his plays, Noel Coward mines complex, volatile relationships among the shallow and narcissistic for humor, pathos, and, swirling amid the surface effervescence, trenchant observations about love. The Hampton Theatre Company will open a two-and-a-half-week run of the 1930 comedy, written in three days while Coward was convalescing from influenza during travels abroad, next Thursday at the Quogue Community Hall. <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\n\u201cPrivate Lives\u201d opens at a hotel in Deauville, France, where Elyot and Sybil are honeymooning. Unbeknownst to Elyot, Amanda, his former wife, is in the adjoining suite with her new husband, Victor. When they discover the bizarre coincidence, both Elyot and Amanda ask their new spouses to leave the hotel with them, but both refuse and storm off to dine alone, leaving Elyot and Amanda to discover they are still drawn to each other. <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nAct II finds Elyot and Amanda at her flat in Paris, where their passion is soon overtaken by increasingly violent arguing that escalates to physical violence. \u201cThere is very real love there,\u201d said Andrew Botsford, who plays Elyot, \u201cbut there is so much self-love that the question is whether they can possibly really connect.\u201d <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nMr. Botsford is also one of four members of the company\u2019s artistic committee, which selects each season\u2019s plays with an eye toward a balance of comedy and drama and new plays and classic works. \u201cWhen we get to the second and third act,\u201d he said, \u201ccertain ideas about couples and how men and women should interact with each other resurface. There\u2019s real care in the writing, it\u2019s really well constructed and really well thought out, in ways that if you look at it as a champagne cocktail of a comedy, you miss that.\u201d <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nThe play\u2019s first production in 1930 in London starred Coward in the role of Elyot, with his longtime co-star, Gertrude Lawrence, as Amanda and a young Laurence Olivier as Victor. While the now-familiar theatrical honors did not exist then, revivals of the play have earned Tony Awards, Drama Desk Awards, and Olivier Awards. <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nA number of Coward\u2019s plays included marital infidelity and sexual shenanigans, and during rehearsals of \u201cPrivate Lives\u201d the Lord Chamberlain labeled the second act love scene too risque. Coward pleaded his case by acting out the scene himself and managed to avoid censorship. <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nIn today\u2019s #MeToo climate, another aspect of the play \u2014 the physical violence between Elyot and Amanda \u2014 seems, at best, anachronistic. \u201cWe were wincing when we did the read through, because Elyot hits Amanda and she hits him back,\u201d said Mr. Botsford. <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\n\u201cIn the third act, Amanda says, \u2018A man should never strike a woman,\u2019 and Elyot says, \u2018Certain women should be struck regularly, like gongs.\u2019 How can you say this in 2019? But in the context of the play, it\u2019s perfectly acceptable.\u201d <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nIn a review of a 2015 revival, Anita Gates of The New York Times cited as a sign of Coward\u2019s theatrical genius that he could \u201cwrite a story heavy on spousal abuse that still plays, without offense, 85 years later.\u201d To Amanda\u2019s credit, she responds to the \u201cgong\u201d comment with a knee to Elyot\u2019s groin and a broken record over his head. <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nThe cast of the Hampton Theatre Company production features, in addition to Mr. Botsford, Rosemary Cline as Amanda, Matthew Conlon as Victor, Rebecca Edana as Sybil, and Diana Marbury as the maid in Amanda\u2019s Paris flat. Mr. Botsford and Ms. Kline have been acting together in different contexts ever since the company began 34 years ago. \u201cThis is cast perfectly for us,\u201d he said. \u201cOur experience acting together adds layers of stuff that are perfect for the play.\u201d <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nGeorge Loizides directs. Set design is by Sean Marbury, lighting design by Sebastian Paczynski, sound by Seamus Naughton, and costumes by Teresa Lebrun. <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nPerformances will take place Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 8, and Sundays at 2:30, with an additional matinee set for June 8. Tickets are $30, $25 for senior citizens (except Saturday evenings), $20 for those under 35, and $10 for students. <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\n<\/p>\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h3>\u201cPrivate Lives\u201d Suggests You Grab Fun While You Can at Hampton Theatre Company<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div id=\"attachment_4292\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4292\" class=\"wp-image-4292 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/unknown-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/unknown-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/unknown-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/unknown-640x426.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/unknown.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4292\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Director George Loizides discusses a scene with his cast Rebecca Edana, Andrew Botsford, Rosemary Cline and Matthew Conlon as they rehearse &#8220;Private Lives&#8221; at the Quogue Community Hall. Michael Heller photo<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>By Michelle Trauring<br \/>\r\nSagharborexpress.com<\/strong> <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nDirector George Loizides calls them his \u201cA-Team\u201d \u2014 their names borderline hallmarks, instantly recognizable to the Quogue theater crowd and beyond. <br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nThey are not just a cast of seasoned actors. They are fixtures of the Hampton Theatre Company\u2019s 35-year run, and an immediate draw for Loizides, he said.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve been doing this for a long time, 50 years, and I always enjoy working with Hampton Theatre Company, whether I\u2019m acting or directing,\u201d Loizides said. \u201cYou know when you play a sport like tennis with somebody who\u2019s a little bit better than you, and your game gets a little bit better? Well, that\u2019s how I feel when I work with HTC. My game\u2019s better because I\u2019m playing with people whose games are a tad better than mine, maybe.\u201d<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nHe is referring to Andrew Botsford, Rosemary Cline, Matthew Conlon, Rebecca Edana and Diana Marbury, the stars of \u201cPrivate Lives,\u201d opening Thursday, May 23, as the Hampton Theatre Company\u2019s fourth and final play of the 2018-2019 season.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s probably the seminal comedy for bad manners. It\u2019s hilarious,\u201d Loizides said. \u201cThe humor is there in the language, the characterizations, the physicality, the action, but I think there\u2019s also a pretty good message, too, about the complexities of trying to be in love and being allowed to be yourself and be in love. I think that\u2019s one of the reasons it still is popular as it is.\u201d<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nFor two weeks in 1930, a flu-ridden Coward spent much of his convalescence sketching out \u201cPrivate Lives\u201d in his head, ultimately writing the script in four days from Shanghai, China.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\n\u201cHe wrote this at a, really, not so great time in history,\u201d Loizides said. \u201cAmerica was at economic collapse, which affected the rest of the world. Fascism was brewing in Europe and Germany. And he writes this piece that, in a way, says, \u2018Grab your fun while you can because you don\u2019t know what\u2019s coming,\u2019 and it\u2019s hilarious. The characters are so despicable, but you like them. It\u2019s like the \u2018Dirty Rotten Scoundrels\u2019 of 1930.\u201d<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nSet in a hotel in Deauville, France, the comedy revolves around two couples \u2014 Elyot and Sybil Chase, and Amanda and Victor Prynne \u2014 who are honeymooning in adjacent rooms. All seems innocent enough, except Elyot and Amanda have been married once before, to each other, and inevitably bump into one another on their neighboring balconies.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\n\u201cFrom there, it\u2019s like you\u2019re lighting a fuse,\u201d Loizides said. \u201cYou\u2019re waiting for this fuse to burn down and all of a sudden there\u2019s going to be this big change and this big explosion. That first act really grabs the audience, and then the second and third acts are the payoff. Nobody writes like No\u00ebl Coward.\u201d<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nAnd for Loizides \u2014 who directed \u201cPrivate Lives\u201d twice before in 1997 and 2006 \u2014 no one has acted this play quite like the Hampton Theatre Company cast. With Botsford and Edana as the Chases, Cline and Conlon as the Prynnes, and Marbury as Louise, the maid in Amanda\u2019s Paris flat, they bring a certain level of maturity and understanding to the play, he said, landing \u201ca cut above most other theater groups.\u201d<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\n\u201cThey just seem to get it a little bit more,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re working with people in the know, and we\u2019re all friends, so you don\u2019t have to break through. You don\u2019t have to cut a hole in the wall to get inside with what these people think and what they may do. You have an in on that already. It makes it more fun, because you\u2019re comfortable, and sometimes it\u2019s challenging.\u201d<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nRehearsals began in mid-April, marking a reunion of sorts for Botsford, Cline, Conlon, and Edana, who all closed last season together with the final show, \u201cDon\u2019t Dress for Dinner.\u201d Their relationships run deep, several of the actors having directed one another over the decades \u2014 Loizides included, he said.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\n\u201cGood work is gonna happen with this group. I always know it\u2019s gonna happen,\u201d he said. \u201cIt might not be an easy path to get there, but I know it\u2019s gonna happen. And, to me, if people leave the theater and they had a great time and they laughed and they feel good, I think that\u2019s a pretty damn good thing to have happen, and I think we need more of that, especially these days. If that\u2019s what they bring away, I\u2019m a happy guy.\u201d<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nHampton Theatre Company will open \u201cPrivate Lives,\u201d its fourth and final play of the 2018-2019 season, on Thursday, May 23, at 7 p.m. at Quogue Community Hall, located at 125 Jessup Avenue in Quogue. Additional performances will be held on Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2:30 p.m., through June 9, with another matinee performance on Saturday, June 8.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nTickets are $30, $25 for seniors, $20 for under age 35 and $10 for students. For more information, call (866) 811-4111 \n            <\/div>\n<p><a href=\"#directions\">DIRECTIONS<\/a><\/p>\n            <div id=\"directions\">\n            \t\r\n<strong>FROM SUNRISE HIGHWAY (ROUTE-27):<\/strong><br \/>\r\nSunrise Highway (Route 27) to exit 64S (Rte. 104 to Quogue). Rte. 104 South (approx. 3 miles) to Montauk Highway (Rte. 80). Right onto Montauk Highway to light at Otis Ford (1 mile). Left onto Jessup Avenue. 1\/2 mile to theater (on right). <strong>FROM MONTAUK HIGHWAY (ROUTE-80):<\/strong><br \/>\r\nMontauk Highway to light at Otis Ford in Quogue. South onto Jessup Avenue. 1\/2 mile to theater (on right). <iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3019.4915915903994!2d-72.61095928459191!3d40.81716467932048!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x89e8f151fdee151d%3A0xdcb55c40c8c21b94!2s125+Jessup+Ave%2C+Quogue%2C+NY+11959!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1506458038222\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><br \/>\r\n\n            <\/div>\n<p><a href=\"#parking-&amp;-accessibility\">PARKING &amp; ACCESSIBILITY<\/a><\/p>\n            <div id=\"parking-&amp;-accessibility\">\n            \t\r\n<strong>PARKING:<\/strong> There is limited street parking around the theater as well as a parking lot that can be entered just north of the Quogue Community Hall. <strong>WHEELCHAIR ACCESS:<\/strong> The theater is wheelchair accessible through the side entrance. If a member of your party needs wheelchair access, please come to front entrance and ask the person taking tickets to open the side door. If a member of your party requires a wheelchair in the theater, please reserve one seat at the end of a row. <strong>ASSISTED LISTENING DEVICES:<\/strong> The theater does not have assisted listening devices at this time.<br \/>\r\n\n            <\/div><\/div>\n \r\n\r\nGallery &#8211; photos by Tom Kochie\r\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 25%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-4026 gallery-columns-4 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/1143-Andrew-Botsford-Rosemary-Cline.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/1143-Andrew-Botsford-Rosemary-Cline-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/1422-Rebecca-Edana-Andrew-Botsford-Rosemary-Cline-Matthew-Conlon.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/1422-Rebecca-Edana-Andrew-Botsford-Rosemary-Cline-Matthew-Conlon-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/1931.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/1931-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/2026.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/2026-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/2039.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/2039-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/2058.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/2058-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/2111.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/2111-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/1422-Rebecca-Edana-Andrew-Botsford-Rosemary-Cline-Matthew-Conlon-1.jpg' title=\"\" data-rl_title=\"\" class=\"rl-gallery-link\" data-rl_caption=\"\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/1422-Rebecca-Edana-Andrew-Botsford-Rosemary-Cline-Matthew-Conlon-1-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In this effervescent comedy, once-married Elyot and Amanda\u2014now honeymooning with new spouses at the same hotel\u2014reignite the old spark and impulsively elope \u2026 only to wonder a few days later whether love, jealousy or anger is the hotter passion. Running time approximately 2 hours&#8230;","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4231,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-full.php","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-4026","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4026"}],"version-history":[{"count":34,"href":"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4317,"href":"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4026\/revisions\/4317"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hamptontheatre.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}