Present Laughter, Theatre Royal Bath ★★★

A version of this review was published on WhatsOnStage There is something undeniably smart about relocating Present Laughter from the world Noël Coward knew to late-1970s Manhattan. In Lindsay Posner’s production, the glamorous actor Gary Essendine becomes Geri Essendine, an expatriate British star who has crossed the Atlantic in pursuit of celebrity. What initially sounds like a gimmick proves surprisingly effective. Coward’s play, with its fascination for fame, ego and the people determined to attach themselves to both, sits comfortably amid the Studio 54 era’s culture of excess. Celebrity has become a commodity, attention a currency, and Geri stands at the centre of a world populated by those eager to take their share. The gender switch does more than simply modernise the play. Oberman’s Geri exists in a world where almost everyone feels entitled to tell her who she should be and what she should want. Managers, producers, lovers and friends all exert pressure from different…