Private Lives @ Donmar Warehouse “Sadly, conflict does not always mean drama. Let alone comedy”

A couple of weeks ago Stuart and I went to see the Michael Longhurst production of Noël Coward’s intimate tragicomedy Private Lives at the Donmar Warehouse in London's glitzy West End.

 

Stephen Mangan and Rachael Stirling star as the divorced couple holidaying in the south of France in adjacent apartments with their new spouses.

 

Turns out they can't stay away from each other. And indeed, Mangan and Stirling both bare their teeth in a show that turns up the domestic violence rather than revel in the humour.

 

Everyone fights; the couples, the new partners, even the band. Conflict, conflict, and more conflict. Sadly, conflict does not always mean drama. Let alone comedy.

 

So, I’m afraid the joke's on us not them. We came out feeling rather sour.