Amanda & Elyot are divorced, and each has married again (to Victor and Sibyl respectively). They find themselves, on their respective honeymoons, in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. The reasons for their original attraction and for their parting rapidly become very clear, and equally clearly haven’t changed.
We are tremendously excited to present Coward's classic, brittle comedy as our first full-length show since February 2020.
“Congratulations to Cassie, cast and crew for a wonderful, joyous and laughter-filled evening! Inspired casting and the actors’ palpable chemistry brought Coward’s sparkling wit to life, whilst the set and costumes reflected the period perfectly. All together a marvellous tonic for theatre deprived audiences. Thank you so much.” Jan F (review written after seeing a dress rehearsal)
"What a great show you put on last night! The acting was first class, set was brilliant and costumes were perfect ... Piano too of course was first rate! You must have been so pleased. It was remarkable and left a big impression. An amazing tour de force in such a brief and unpredictable time!" Shelagh S
"It’s a marvellous party to watch. You should try getting on the guest list." James Goffin, Norwich Evening News (click here for full review)
"Well acted and incredibly funny. Well done to cast, crew and all volunteers at Sewell Barn." Kat J
"It was indeed a marvellous party ... if you haven’t booked tickets already, you should! It’s just so marvellous seeing live theatre again! Well done all!" Emma S
"Great performance tonight, excellent pace and lots of laughs. Congratulations to everyone!" Tim S
"Fantastic evening of laughs with Private Lives last night! Thank you cast (and crew - great scene changing) for a slick and excellent version of Coward's play." Frances M
"What a lovely evening actually AT THE THEATRE! First time since March 2020. Wonderfully fun evening watching Private Lives. On until Saturday so grab your tickets you lovely Norwich lot!" Emma K
"Thoroughly enjoyable. So well done. I just loved Elyot!!" Vicky F
"A highly enjoyable evening of wit and charm! Fabulous performances and much hilarity! Just what we need at the moment!" Barnaby M
"Saw Coward’s Private Lives at the Sewell Barn last night and I think we can safely say what a sparkling comedy it was, and we enjoyed it immensely. I am always surprised how well Coward survives into the 21st century, although the casual violence does jar, I must admit.
The cast were all excellent. Charming, sophisticated and funny. Harriet Waterhouse was naturally lovely and feisty, and I thought at one point was going to subject Nick Meir to fifty lashes of her commodious and luscious tresses! Nick Meir was very believable as the rather cold and arrogant Eliot and thankfully avoided any mannered Cowardisms. Verity Thomson coped very well with the rather straitlaced, buttoned-up Sybyl and I was very impressed with Lee Johnson, a fine slightly preposterous comic performance as Victor. It was a shame we had to wait a couple of acts for Christina Fernandes’.s very funny, very French Louise, but she was worth waiting for.
Excellent direction from Cassie Tillett, pacey and frothy, and altogether a lovely enjoyable evening of fine entertainment. Well done everyone." David W
