William Connell (downstage left), Bradley Beahen (above left), and Laura Odeh (right) are 3/5 of the talented cast of Private Lives, now playing at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Photo by Dan Norman.

There’s something for just about anyone in Private Lives, a voyeuristic 1930 comedy that opened to riotous applause at the Guthrie Theater this evening. One of Noel Coward’s signature plays – written to star himself, and a massive box office success on both sides of the Atlantic – the piece was the talk of the town in its day, and is sure to invite much discussion to anyone who sees it.

Without delving too far into the realm of spoilers, Private Lives traces the story of a divorced couple who unexpectedly reunite just after they have married new spouses. The results are explosive, hilarious to behold, and provocative of many a mid-show glance and intermission discussion.

Things start calmly enough, with Bradley Beahen (as the Piano Player and Louis) telling joking asides to the audience. Then enters the first of the happily newlyweds, Elyot (William Connell) and Sibyl (Nikki Massoud). Soon, the seeds start to be sown in the audience’s minds, seeds that will sprout to dramatic and comedic effect. The script, although almost a century old, still rings sharp, both with its comments on the human condition and in capturing the little ways that couples get under each other’s skin.

Exit one couple, enter the next: Victor (played by Dustin Bronson), who has just married Amanda (Laura Odeh). The sparks start to fly almost immediately, and – in the words of a whispered aside by one audience member – “%$#@’s about to go down!”

The dramatic arc of the play is best experienced rather than narrated. Act II, featuring just two actors for almost the entirety, is a marvel of chemistry between Laura Odeh and Dustin Bronson, with highly engaging staging by director David Ivers that pulls you in and doesn’t let go until the lights go out. This peek into the secret inner lives and of two divorcées is endlessly entertaining, and many might find themselves dragging a friend back to re-experience the rollercoaster.

Things take a different turn in Act III, when all four members of the main ensemble finally play off each other. This, too, is delightful, as all the remaining seeds from Act I sprout.

“Every marriage is a mystery from the outside” is a timeless observation. Private Lives wears its period colors proudly, and is equally timeless in provoking both laughter and critical commentary.

Private Lives plays through August 23 at the Guthrie Tehater’s Wurtele Thrust Stage in Minneapolis, MN.

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Basil Considine

Basil Considine was the Editor of the Twin Cities Arts Reader from 2018-2022. He served as Performing Arts Editor and Senior Classical Music and Drama Critic for the Arts Reader's first five years, before succeeding Hanne Appelbaum. He was previously the Resident Classical Music and Drama Critic at the Twin Cities Daily Planet and remains an occasional contributing writer for The Boston Musical Intelligencer and The Chattanoogan. He holds a PhD in Music and Drama from Boston University, an MTS in Sacred Music from the BU School of Theology, and a BA in Music and Theatre from the University of San Diego.

Basil was named one of Musical America's 30 Professionals of the Year in 2017. He was previously the Regional Governor for the National Opera Association's North Central Region and the 2021-2022 U.S. Fulbright Faculty Scholar to Madagascar.

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