Black Box Theatre | Present Laughter
Meet the cast and crew of the Spring 2024 Production of Present Laughter
Top Row Left to right: Stephen Pickering, Marisa Snook, Karen Peterson, Nadia Lara, Gianah Tomczak, Olivia Greenwald, Addie Keller, Chelsea Boesiger, Paul Lockwood, Carol Foreman, Jay Geller
Bottom Row Left to Right: Brian Fleming, Mailin Contreras, Emily Kunash, Joel Bennett, Angie Kells, Bobby Roberts, Skye Schoen, EJ Svendson
Photos courtesy of Christy Sturm.
About Present Laughter
The Black Box Theatre is proud to announce the Spring 2024 production of Noel Coward’s witty and hysterical play, Present Laughter, directed by Angie Kells.
At the center of his own universe sits matinee idol Garry Essendine: suave, hedonistic, and too old, says his wife, to have numerous affairs. His line in harmless, infatuated debutantes is largely tolerated but playing closer to home is not. Just before he escapes on tour to Africa the full extent of his misdemeanors is discovered. And all hell breaks loose. Noel Coward's Present Laughter premiered in the early years of the Second World War just as such privileged lives were threatened with fundamental social change (Concord Theatrical).
Present Laughter is directed by Angie Kells, with assistant director Chelsea Boesiger, Dialect Coach Marisa Snook, set design by Eric Luchen, lighting design by Deb Holmen, costume design by Carol Foreman, technical direction by Chris Adkins, scenic painting by Holly Adkins, stage manager Mailin Contreras, and producer and artistic director, Jay Geller.
What the Critics Had to Say
To study Noel Coward’s plays is one thing. To perform them is another. The Black Box Theatre at McHenry County College has taken on the herculean challenge of spacing, timing, and the leveling of characters in its production of “Present Laughter,” and it hits all the marks.
Director Angie Kells has done a terrific job meeting those challenges with both cast and crew to give seasoned theater enjoyers what they want and expect from a Coward production. The production is also of a high enough caliber to give the newest of theatergoers a most enjoyable experience.
Noel Coward is known for his trademark use of comic suspense and chaos. For this production, there are five exits/entrances. Combined, they fulfill the Noel Coward promise that you will never know what to expect when the doorbell buzzes or someone runs in or out of a room. In most cases, it will result in some form of laughter.
The Black Box Theatre at McHenry County College has another jewel in its crown. You will definitely leave with a smile, and during a time when one may find things a little heavy in the world, you will definitely see that now is the time for “Present Laughter.”
Holly Sloan, "Life and Times," March 25, 2024