by Joanne Engelhardt

Director Dennis M. Lickteig decided to update Noel Coward’s somewhat-archaic play, “Private Lives” by doing a gender switch for two of its five characters.

But was it successful? Well, yes…and no.

When Coward wrote “Private Lives” in 1930, a conventional marriage was between a man and a woman. Yes, there were certainly openly gay and lesbian couples, even then. Coward himself treated his homosexuality as an “open secret.” He was discreet about it, but hardly closeted. Still, many gay couples did remain deeply closeted, fearing exposure, and sometimes appeared in public with partners of the opposite sex who were referred to as “beards.”

As reimagined by Lickteig, a female character is ditched and that part is given to one half of a gay male couple. It turns out that by play’s end, the sex change doesn’t really make much of a difference.

Running about two hours with a 15-minute intermission, The Pear’s “Private Lives” is enjoyable most of the time, although the second act seems to run on too long. And the British accents used by the actors appear to slip in and out, despite the efforts of dialect coach Brennah Kemmerly. The only actor who kept a true English accent all the time was Amanda Korkunis, who plays Sibyl. Sadly, her acting appeared rather perfunctory, almost wooden at times.

One of the best parts of this production is the set design. In Act 1, the set features two lovely adjoining terraces festooned in cascading flowers over the doors and in hanging baskets in a first-class hotel in Deauville, France. Act 2 opens on a completely different set: the interior of a large, impressively decorated hotel room in Paris. Credit goes to technical and set designer Louis Stone Collonge for his exceptional creativity working in the Pear’s relatively small space.

That hotel room features some very attractive set pieces, not least of which is a gigantic world atlas held in place by a wooden stand. There’s also an authentic-looking gramophone which is used to play the song “I’ll Be Seeing You.” There’s also a 1930s-era telephone sitting on a table, although it’s never used in the play.

Kudos to costume designer Greet Jaspaert who chose the fine period clothing that the actors wear. The dark tuxedos worn in Act 1 look authentic as do the beautiful silky lounging gowns worn by Andrew and Elyot in Act 2.

Despite these fine accoutrements, the play is a bit of a letdown. Of the five performers, only two really seem to have genuinely grasped their roles. As Andrew, Lysander Abadia captures attention with his realistic gestures and concern for his partner. Likewise, Paul Araquistain as Elyot appears to be “living” his role rather than just performing.

What’s interesting about Andrew and Elyot’s behavior is that they both realize that they initially broke up because they bickered all the time over small differences. Five years later they have both mellowed somewhat, and they decide to come up with a “safe word” so that if they start to argue, either Andrew or Elyot will say the “safe word” and neither one of them can speak for two minutes.

By the end of their “time out,” they laugh about the fact that what they were arguing about wasn’t very important after all. Which is something many couples might consider doing when they begin to argue.

Nevertheless, “Private Lives” is a relic of a long ago era and not everyone’s cuppa tea, for sure.

A side note: Coward allegedly wrote “Lives” in only four days—while he was ill no less—which might be why the play’s dialogue sometimes borders on frenetic energy.

“Private Lives” plays at The Pear Theater in Mountain View through October 11, 2026. For further information, click here.

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Rating: **1/2 (For an explanation of TheatreStorm’s rating system, click here.)
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“Private Lives” by Noel Coward. Produced by The Pear Theatre. Director: Dennis M. Lickteig. Set Designer and Technical Director: Louis Stone-Collonge. Costume Designer: Greet Jaspaert. Lighting Designer: Edward Hunter. Sound Designer: Chris Beer. Intimacy & Fight Coordinator: Bessie Zolno. Dialect Coach: Brennah Kemmerly. Production & Stage Manager: Kelly Weber Barraza. Artistic Director: Sara Cannon Dean. Artistic Associate: Lysander Abadia. Scenic Painter: Jason Blanton. Marketing Director: Tim Garcia. Hospitality Manager: Rachel Bratt. Patron Services Manager: Skyler Riordan. House Manager: Lisa Anderson.

Cast:

Andrew: Lysander Abadia. Victor: Charles Anthony. Elyot: Paul Araquistain. Louise (housekeeper): Helen Kim. Sibyl: Amanda Korkunis