Present Laughter

Written by Noël Coward

Narrated by Ian Ogilvy and Full Cast

A gallery of friends, lovers, relatives and theatre acolytes sparkle around stage star Garry Essendine like bubbles in fine champagne. While Garry struggles to plan his upcoming trip to Africa, his elegant London flat is invaded by a love struck ingénue, an adulterous producer and a married seductress–not to mention Garry’s estranged wife Liz and the memorable Roland Maule, an aspiring playwright who is quite, quite mad.

"Present Laughter is a very light comedy and was written with the sensible object of providing me with a bravura part.”
Noël Coward

An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring Gregory Cooke, Arthur Hanket, Jon Matthews, Ian Oglivy, Siri O'Neal, Christina Pickles, Carolyn Seymour and Yeardley Smith.

• Language: English
• Publisher: L.A. Theatre Works
• Release date: Jun 1, 1996
• ISBN: 9781580814973

Noël Coward

Noël Coward (1899–1973), also known as Sir Noël Peirce Coward, was an English writer, director and performer. He studied dance and acting as a child, before making his professional debut at age 12. As a teen, he began writing plays including the comedy I’ll Leave It to You, which debuted in 1920. Over the course of his career, Coward penned more than 50 plays such as Private Lives, Present Laughter and Blithe Spirit. During his final years, he received knighthood (in 1969) followed by a Tony Award for lifetime achievement.