THE MARQUISE

Theatre Royal Windsor

★★★★

“this production places Coward’s inherent humour, intelligence and wit fully under the spotlight”

Noël Coward’s romantic comedy play, “The Marquise”, was already his thirteenth full-length play – written at the tender age of twenty-eight. Up to that point, his work always had a contemporary setting, but this latest offering (which he himself described as a ‘tenuous, frivolous little piece’) found him exploring the early eighteenth century, just outside Paris. Philip Wilson’s revival keeps the action in France but takes it back to more familiar Coward territory in which we find ourselves immersed in the glamour of the 1930s. Tuxedos and taffeta adorn the stage as the houselights fade, revealing the art deco splendour of Colin Falconer’s streamlined set. We are in the lacquered interior of Raoul de Vriaac’s chateau, celebrating the engagement of his daughter Adrienne to the son of his old friend, Esteban.

At first, the transposition is a seemingly inspired choice made by Wilson, who directs with the panache and fluidity of a Coward connoisseur. But then again, it is also an obvious choice given the character of the quintessential dialogue; the beauty of which wouldn’t be out of place set in today’s world either. Wilson was also granted permission from the Noël Coward Estate to implement another (minor) tweak that further delivers the play from its more censored origins.

Frivolous it may be. Tenuous it certainly isn’t. The company give robust and convincing performances as they negotiate class divides while bridging the gap between the two World Wars. While the majority are still wallowing in the Roaring Twenties, patriarch Raoul is letting his mindset drift into the Great Depression. Simon Shepherd plays the misanthrope with subtle humour. Memories of the past disturb Raoul, whereas Esteban delights in the shared recollections of their debauchery. Tristan Gemmill is a silver fox, teasing his partner in crime while still holding onto the threadbare affection. Their respective children – Adrienne (Eva O’Hara) and Miguel (Barnaby Tobias) – are rebelling against the marriage their fathers have arranged for them. Adrienne is in love with Raoul’s secretary, Jacques (Albie Marber) while Miguel has fallen for a dancer in Paris.

The ensuing mix of recriminations and outrages is thrown into further disorder by the emergence of the Marquise Eloise de Kestournel. In a role that could have been written for her, Juliet Aubrey lights up the stage. She is fire and ice. The romantic and the pragmatist rolled into a cool stillness, remaining unruffled as she reveals old secrets to her two old flames. Shepherd and Gemmill, in turn, are funny and furious in their comic outrage as the revelations come to the surface.

After the interval, the style becomes more mixed. Classic Coward humour gives way to (almost) farcical scenes. In addition, there are shades of Ibsen, along with vivid splashes of Wilde. Yet the whole is never clumsy, nor contrived, even when the finale looms into plain sight. A couple of anachronisms could potentially jar; such as a fencing duel between Raoul and Esteban which is an unlikely scenario in this setting, but the two actors pull it off with their ability to mix comedy and rage with playful affection. And, of course, a Coward comedy is incomplete without a bit of music. Largely absent throughout – despite the presence of a grand piano – Aubrey eventually gets to showcase her talents further during the closing moments. A melancholy little tune, played and sung alone, slowly shapeshifts into a glorious ensemble sequence. It is a magical moment, veering off-piste slightly, but a clear signpost for the eventual coupling of these disparate characters.

“The Marquise” is one of Coward’s lesser performed plays. Transporting it to the 1930s is not merely an inspired choice; it also puts the story back where it belongs, allowing its flair to flourish. It doesn’t just shed light on family secrets and scandals, but this production places Coward’s inherent humour, intelligence and wit fully under the spotlight. Sense of style, and sense of humour, are a perfect match.

THE MARQUISE

Theatre Royal Windsor then UK Tour continues

Reviewed on 1st June 2026

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Alastair Muir

THE MARQUISE

★★★

“Fans of F Scott Fitzgerald and afficionados of ‘The Great Gatsby’ will not be disappointed”

‘On Air’ productions have become a popular staple of Theatre Royal, Windsor over the past few years, with their adaptations of classics read in an authentic studio setting, The style is that of a vintage radio drama, complete with live sound effects, replicating the medium that reached its height in the 1930s and 1940s. The atmosphere is authentically recreated for the latest production of F Scott Fitzgerald’s classic, “The Great Gatsby”, even if we are a bit unsure of which decade of the twentieth century we are entering. The (uncredited) set design is a gorgeous period concoction, more H G Wells than the Jazz Age, onto which the cast assemble as though stumbling out of one of Jay Gatsby’s all-nighters on Long Island.

Foley Artist (Martin Carroll) urges the ensemble to take their positions at the microphones while the Greenwich Time Signal counts down with its pips and the ‘On Air’ sign flickers. There is little, if any, preamble except for a few bars of Sophie Burke’s ragtime soundtrack at the piano. It is a shame as a hint of the dynamics between the cast and crew ‘off air’ would have lifted the show from its resemblance to a rehearsed reading, albeit a faithful and accomplished retelling of the story. Roy Marsden’s staging coasts in a no man’s land where not enough visual concessions are made for a theatre audience.

We all know the story, narrated from the point of view of Nick Carraway – Gatsby’s neighbour during the summer of 1922 – told in the first person. George Banks takes on the mantle to steer us through the narrative. A calm and articulate presence, Banks shifts from the role of narrator to that of his character within the action but makes no alteration in his delivery between the two. With the exception of Carley Stenson’s rich voiced Daisy Buchanan and Charlie Clements’ imposing Tom Buchanan, the rest of the cast double up. Eva O’Hara is a delightfully tipsy, party-loving Lucille but slightly flat as cheating, celebrity golfer Jordan Baker. Holly Smith successfully conveys Myrtle Wilson’s frustrated social status with her musical Bronx twang, cutting to a crisp RP for her minor cameos. Forgive me for any discrepancies as the programme credits don’t necessarily match what is unfolding onstage.

Barnaby Tobias, in the ‘great’ eponymous role appears to be a late replacement, but he has the strongest grasp of characterisation, peeling away the often-misplaced enigma that is Gatsby, to reveal the fast-talking, jittery awkwardness of a man out of his depth. Doubling as garage owner George Wilson he matches Smith’s ability to switch dialect on a dime.

Much of the playing space is given over to the collection of devices at Carroll’s disposal for the live soundscape. Like the overall theatrical concept, it is underused, and like the overall production, tricks have been missed and temptations for innovation have been resisted. We are left with the nagging question of the purpose of the exercise, especially with a story so iconic and recognised. It does, however, work well as a nostalgia piece but even then, it spurns the opportunity for experimentation that the breakthrough in radio drama originally offered nearly a century ago. There is a laziness that runs through, underlined by the dayglo highlighted markings incongruously splashed on the actors’ scripts. Weakening the sense of period it also heightens the feeling that we are guests at a reading.

Fans of F Scott Fitzgerald and afficionados of ‘The Great Gatsby’ will not be disappointed. Marsden’s adaptation is lovingly faithful to the book, but on the page only, which is where it remains in this interpretation, not quite making the journey to the stage in the style Jay Gatsby would have liked to arrive in.

Tag Archives: Holly Smith

THE MARQUISE

★★★★

UK Tour

THE MARQUISE

Theatre Royal Windsor

★★★★

“this production places Coward’s inherent humour, intelligence and wit fully under the spotlight”

THE MARQUISE