Review: Private Lives at Northern Stage

“…a much-needed pick-me-up and a perfect escape…”

Private Lives by Noël Coward, Northern Stage

By Melina Turner-Deeks

This performance was the perfect sparkle to brighten up a dreary November evening! Noel Coward’s timeless Private Lives landed with a bang at Newcastle’s Northern Stage. The theatre was as welcoming as ever, and I can never resist indulging in a pre-show drink in their cosy bar area. The Northern Stage also runs a pay-it-forward scheme, so bring a few spare coins (or notes) for the bucket!

A classic comedy of errors set amidst the classy 1930s, this performance did not disappoint. Amanda and Elyot are the embodiment of sophisticated 30s glitz, glam and wit. They are also divorced. Their paths unexpectedly collide once more in France and they cannot resist each other – the only problem being that they are on honeymoons with their new marital partners. The show is brimming with wit and fast quips, but it poses some much larger questions about marriage as a social construct, as well as highlighting the pressure for social acceptance.

Director Tanuja Amarasuriya brings this play (written and set in the 1930s) screaming into the 21^st century, fully clad in decadent silk pyjamas. The added prologue featuring a woman in a suit and top hat, set the tone for this status-quo-questioning performance and, although stylistically fitting, seemed a bit misplaced and unnecessary. However, the multi-racial cast brought a dazzling new dimension to the (arguably) archaic script. The same goes for the set design, by Amy Jane Cook, which featured bright, innovative colours that challenged the ‘starched white shirt’ vibe of the original text. The pink and blue checked floor gave the 1930s feel a somewhat delirious and dreamlike slant, rocking the classicism before the performance had even begun.

The costumes too (also by Cook) broke the private lives mould with their flashy colours – featuring pastel wigs for Amanda and Sybil, while simultaneously maintaining the suave and bourgeoisie style of the 30s. The performance questions the roles demanded of men and women in a way that was progressive in 1930, and still remains totally relevant today. Private Lives has been reimagined time and time again for nearly a century, but this performance managed to reframe it through a 2025 lens, while preserving the essence of the past. Amarasuriya has succeeded in bringing this iconic play forward a hundred years!

Amanda (Pepter Lunkuse) was flawlessly characterised, with deep complexities that seemed to be continually glossed over by how her male counterparts imagined her. Elyot (Chirag Benedict Lobo) was delightfully disagreeable, and to dislike him throughout the performance was a pure joy. In fact, a total lack of likeable characters made this performance deliciously wicked, in a very Oscar Wildean way. Ashley Gerlach’s Victor, Amanda’s new and flummoxed husband, was the comedic backbone of the show; his performance was peppered with hilarious gestures, movements and facial expressions that elaborated the character’s slapstick nativity and bravado.

The sharp wit, flaming passion and 30s decadence was a much-needed pick-me-up and a perfect escape from the cynicism and doom of modern-day life.

Private Lives plays at Northern Stage until Saturday 08 November. Tickets are available here.

Melina Turner-Deeks is a poet and self-confessed literature nerd. She currently runs literary workshops and bookclubs in North Tyneside as The Literature Lass. When she is not baking, parenting or reading, she loves being outdoors and connecting with nature. Find her on Instagram here or Facebook here.