Private Lives

Lehigh Valley Press

“These ‘Private Lives’ shine…”

“Sparkling new production…”

“PSF production, directed with meticulous grace by PSF Associate Artistic Director Dennis Razze.”

“Polished like a gem and sparkles like a diamond.”

“Lovely duo and solo dances as staged by Choreographer Stephen Casey and realistic-looking altercations of Amanda and Elyot as executed by Fight Director J. Alex Cordaro.”

“Superb.”

“The contrast among the four main characters is excellent.”

“Matthew Floyd Miller portrays self-possessed, coolly-efficient and charmingly-brilliant Elyot with the right amount of strength, insufferability and, yes, vulnerability.”

“Eleanor Handley gives a bravura performance as Amanda. She presents Amanda not as a churlish vixen, but rather an independent woman of passion, strength and beauty. Her body language is grand, relaxed and enthusiastically liberated.”

“Miller and Handley’s duet at the baby grand, singing “Some Day I’ll Find You” is bittersweet, and one of the play’s highlights.”

“Luigi Sottile is so good as Victor He creates a solid, doltish, bemused character who’s as clueless as he is sweet.”

“Talley Gale as Sibyl creates no idyll for anyone in her forthright, no-nonsense yet somehow lovable portrait of a woman.”

“Proving the adage that there are no small roles is Taylor Congdon, memorable as Louise the maid.”

“Costume Designer Sarah Cubbage is true to the era and characters, glamorous and swanky for the females, and sophisticated and gentlemanly for the males.”

“Sets by Scenic Designer Roman Tatarowicz are detailed with art deco flourishes.”

“It’s all in good fun. And what fun it is.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Do yourself a favor and take in Private Lives.”

“Hilarity among zingers.”

“Noel Coward’s inimitable masterpiece springs to life in a vibrant staging as nonpareil as the play itself.”

“The show sweeps you away with splashy staging and the actors’ masterful delivery of Coward’s nonstop, ill-tempered repartee.”

“Luigi Sottile and Talley Gale play the new spouses, Victor and Sibyl,
delightfully funny with their bodily movement and comic timing.”

“It is well-traveled Broadway actor Matthew Floyd Miller as Elyot, and PSF star Eleanor Handley as Amanda who are gifted with most of Coward’s zingers.”

“Veteran PSF director Dennis Razze boosts the gaiety by creating three fast-paced acts with two short breaks.”

“Set designer Roman Tatarowicz’s Art Deco Paris apartment is eye-popping.”

“The luscious costume design of Sarah Cubbage captures character.”

The Morning Call

“Noel Coward’s wickedly funny dialogue is brought to delicious life.”

“Sparks fly and witty wordplay zings as the talented actors take the audience on
a highly entertaining ride that is as smart as it is funny.”

“Matthew Floyd Miller is brilliant as the insouciant, self-indulgent and flippant Elyot, from whose mouth barbed one-liners drip like rain.”

“As his worldly ex, Amanda, the excellent Eleanor Handley is every bit a match for Miller’s Elyot. Her Amanda is self-assured, strong-willed and oh so cosmopolitan.”

“Laugh-out-loud hilarious….”

“Tally Gale makes Elyot’s new wife, Sybil, flighty and neurotic, her neediness a perfect contrast to Amanda’s glib self-sufficiency.”

“Luigi Sottile, last year’s Shakespeare in Love, is nearly unrecognizable as Amanda’s new husband, the uptight, pompous Victor, who seems to personify the stuffy tweed suit he wears.”

“But the true joy is in experiencing Coward’s sophisticated wit delivered by this wonderful cast.”

“Dennis Razze’s direction is on-spot and funny, bringing out every subtlety of the script.”

“Astonishingly choreographed….The cathartic fight, brilliantly directed by fight coordinator J. Alex Cordaro.”

“Roman Tatarowicz’s set is beautifully elegant as well as very functional.”

“Sarah Cubbage’s wonderfully period costumes enhance the proceedings.”