GUTHRIE THEATER PRESENTS NOËL COWARD’S PRIVATE LIVES,
DIRECTED BY DAVID IVERS

Ivers (The Importance of Being Earnest, Blithe Spirit, The Cocoanuts) returns to the Guthrie to helm this quick-witted comedy about love, marriage and second chances

Previews begin Saturday, July 18; Opening on Thursday, July 23
Playing through Sunday, August 23 on the Wurtele Thrust Stage

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) — The Guthrie Theater (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) today announced the cast and creative team for its upcoming production of Private Lives by Noël Coward, directed by David Ivers. Private Lives begins previews on Saturday, July 18, opens on Thursday, July 23 and will play through Sunday, August 23 on the Wurtele Thrust Stage. Single and group tickets are now on sale exclusively through the Box Office or online at guthrietheater.org. Accessibility services (ASL-interpreted, audio-described and open-captioned performances) are also available on select dates and by request.

“An immediate hit since its first staging in 1930, Private Lives has never been out of popularity,” said Artistic Director Joseph Haj. “Noël Coward masterfully combines witty dialogue with tempestuous romance in his signature style to create a delightfully daring escapade for us to enjoy. It’s a privilege to have David Ivers, a superb director of comedy, back at the Guthrie to direct this classic play and treat audiences to Coward’s brilliance this summer.”

Director David Ivers said, “The characters in Private Lives live out loud. They are deliciously intelligent and insanely human, driven by a fundamental need to connect. I’m honored to help spread laughter and joy while exploring the complexity of relationships in Noël Coward’s expertly crafted comedy.”

Private Lives is considered Noël Coward’s most famous and enduring work, and it is often regarded as the high point of his career both commercially and artistically. A comedy of social manners and romantic relationships, the play features engaging character psychology and witty dialogue while humorously deflating the pretensions of socialite life during the 1920s and 1930s. Coward famously wrote the play in only four days and starred in the first production alongside Gertrude Lawrence and Laurence Olivier. Private Lives was a critical and audience sensation when it premiered in 1930, and its sparkling dialogue and witty repartee have ensured its ongoing success, as it continues to be revived at theaters around the world.

At the start of this quick-witted comedy, divorcees Elyot and Amanda have called it quits. It wasn’t that they didn’t adore each other — their union was just too tempestuous for their own good. Five years later, they’re both on marriage number two and honeymooning at a popular resort town in France with their new spouses, Sibyl and Victor, who remain unconvinced that the flames between the former dynamic duo have fizzled. When the couples discover they are vacationing at the same hotel, insults and romantic sparks fly until everyone is caught in the emotional crossfire and forced to follow their hearts. This delicious will-they-won’t-they comedy will have you rooting for the lovers and leave you laughing the whole way home. 

The cast of Private Lives includes Bradley Beahen (Guthrie: debut) as Piano Player/Louis, Dustin Bronson (Guthrie: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The History Plays, Hamlet) as Victor Prynne, William Connell (Guthrie: debut) as Elyot Chase, Nikki Massoud (Guthrie: English) as Sibyl Chase and Laura Odeh (Guthrie: debut) as Amanda Prynne.

The creative team includes David Ivers (Director/Fight Director), Alexander Dodge (Scenic Designer), Meg Neville (Costume Designer), Pablo Santiago (Lighting Designer), Fabian Obispo (Sound Designer/Composer), Carla Steen (Resident Dramaturg), Keely Wolter (Resident Vocal Coach), Annie Enneking (Intimacy), Jennifer Liestman, C.S.A. (Resident Casting Director), Laura Topham (Stage Manager), Matthew Meeks (Assistant Stage Manager), Idman Adan (Assistant Director) and McCorkle Casting, Ltd. (NYC Casting Consultant).

Biographies

Noël Coward (Playwright) was born in 1899 and made his professional stage debut as Prince Mussel in The Goldfish at age 12, leading to many child actor appearances over the next few years. His breakthrough in playwriting was the controversial The Vortex (1924), which made his name as both actor and playwright in the West End and on Broadway. During the 1920s and 1930s, Coward wrote a string of successful plays, musicals and intimate revues, including Fallen Angels (1925), Hay Fever (1925), Easy Virtue (1926), This Year of Grace (1928) and Bitter Sweet (1929). His professional partnership with childhood friend Gertrude Lawrence started with Private Lives (1930) and continued with Tonight at 8.30 (1936). During World War II, he remained a successful playwright, screenwriter and director, with work including Blithe Spirit (1941), which ran for 1,997 performances (a West End record until The Mousetrap overtook it), This Happy Breed and Present Laughter (both 1943). His two wartime screenplays, In Which We Serve and Brief Encounter, quickly became classics of British cinema. In the post-war years, Coward reinvented himself as a cabaret and TV star, particularly in America. Coward enjoyed a renaissance in the early 1960s, becoming the first living playwright to be performed by the National Theatre when he directed Hay Fever. Late in his career, he was lauded for his roles in films, including Our Man in Havana (1959) and his role as the iconic Mr. Bridger alongside Michael Caine in The Italian Job (1968). His final West End appearance was Song at Twilight in 1966, which he wrote and starred in.

David Ivers (Director) is a director, an educator and an actor who currently serves as the Artistic Director at South Coast Repertory. He was previously the Artistic Director at Arizona Theatre Company and spent more than 20 years as an actor and director at Utah Shakespeare Festival, including six years as Artistic Director. Ivers was also the Resident Artist at Denver Center Theatre Company for a decade, during which he acted in and directed more than 40 plays. His early career also included serving as Associate Artistic Director at Portland Repertory Theatre. As an actor, Ivers has appeared in productions at some of the nation’s top regional theaters, including Portland Center Stage and the Oregon, Alabama and Idaho Shakespeare Festivals. He has served on various boards, such as the Davis Shakespeare Ensemble, Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center and American Shakespeare Collective.

The Guthrie gratefully acknowledges Sun Country Airlines for their support of Private Lives.

Related Events

Post-Play Discussions
Patrons are invited to stay in the theater following select performances for a 20-minute conversation about the production facilitated by Guthrie staff. Cast members may join the discussion as they are able.

Sunday, July 26 at 1 p.m.
Tuesday, July 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 29 at 1 p.m.
Sunday, August 2 at 1 p.m.
Saturday, August 8 at 1 p.m.

Accessible Performances

ASL-Interpreted Performances
American Sign Language interpreters sign the performance as it plays out onstage.

Saturday, August 8 at 1 p.m.
Friday, August 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Audio-Described Performances
Audio describers provide live verbal descriptions of the action, costumes and scenery for people who are blind or have low vision.

Saturday, August 8 at 1 p.m.
Friday, August 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Open-Captioned Performances
LED screens display text simultaneously with the performance onstage.

Wednesday, August 5 at 1 p.m.
Sunday, August 9 at 1 p.m.
Saturday, August 15 at 1 p.m.
Wednesday, August 19 at 1 p.m.
Friday, August 21 at 7:30 p.m.

The Guthrie also provides accessibility services upon request. Requests must be received at least two weeks in advance and can be directed to 612.225.6390 or accessibility@guthrietheater.org.

Ticket Information

Single tickets range from $35 to $94 (handling fees included). Purchase single and group tickets (minimum requirement of 15 per group) through the Box Office at 612.377.2224 (single), 1.877.447.8243 (toll-free), 612.225.6244 (group) or online at guthrietheater.org. The Guthrie Theater Box Office is the only official and most secure source for Guthrie tickets. We cannot guarantee the validity of tickets purchased through any other vendor or third-party seller.

Land Acknowledgment

The Guthrie would like to acknowledge that we gather on the traditional land of the Dakota People and honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations, including the Ojibwe and other Indigenous nations.

The GUTHRIE THEATER (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) is an American center for theater performance in Minneapolis, Minnesota, dedicated to producing a mix of classic and contemporary plays and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. Under Haj’s leadership, the Guthrie is guided by four core values: Artistic Excellence; Community; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility; and Fiscal Responsibility. Since its founding in 1963, the theater has continued to set a national standard for excellence in the field and serve the people of Minnesota as a vital cultural resource. The Guthrie houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public spaces. guthrietheater.org