It’s morning in the lush London flat of British actor, matinee idol and cad Garry Essendine. Daphne Stillington (Holley Fain in a funny turn, much different than her “Gossip Girl” character) is prancing about in men’s pajamas like a school girl about to go to a dance. As she flits from corner to corner, reveling in her good fortune to be there, the Scandinavian maid, Miss Erickson (characterized to perfection by the deadpan Nancy E. Carroll), comes in, followed by the butler, Fred (Joseph O'Neil in what looks to me like an homage to the great Tommy Steele)

and then the actor’s secretary, Monica Reed (scathingly played by Harriet Harris, recently seen on Broadway in Cry Baby, the Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie and The Man Who Came To Dinner). She is, by far, my favorite character in the story. None of them seem to know who Daphne is, but are certainly not surprised to find her there.

Enter Garry Essendine, played to “hammy” actor perfection by Victor Garber, late of TV’s “Eli Stone,” in a long awaited return to the stage. Monica tells Garry that, in order to get on with his day, he must get rid of the girl. Garry confronts the puppy-love eyed Daphne and deliciously overacts while telling his one night stand she has to leave and never come back, “Don’t love me too much, Daphne - promise me - for you’ll only be unhappy. No good can come from loving anyone like me, I’m not worthy of it really, I’m not!” It is at that point that we realize that this is no ordinary man, and madness is about to ensue.

Present Laughter, Noël Coward’s 1939 semi-autobiographical, madcap, comedy masterpiece, gives us a fun-filled ride through the life of a true ham of the British stage, in the week preceding his departure to Africa with a tour. Larger than life, Garry is also coping with turning 40 and keeping his circle of friends, the ex-wife, Liz Essendine (lovingly played by Lisa Banes who acts as if she is still much the mother hen), the young manager, Morris Dixon (Marc Vietor doing quite nicely portraying Morris as the devil-may-care “Dapper Dan”) and Garry’s producer of many years, Henry Lypiatt (Richard Poe, who sports no English accent, but shows his skills well for the short stage time he has), from killing each other. The trouble is, Garry believes he always has to be center stage, for even off-stage he is always on stage (and always over-acting), so he really can’t see anyone else’s problems.

In the midst of all this mayhem, more and more people keep coming to the flat, a crazy playwright, Roland Maule (Brooks Ashmanskas who made me laugh, not only with Coward’s dialogue, but also with his facial expressions and body language, and who will be seen later this year in the revival of Promises, Promises), who is visibly taken in more by Garry himself than what Garry thinks of his play, and Lady Saltburn (Alice Duffy making the doting Aunt very believable), seeking an audition for her niece, causing more stress on the actor and his staff who have seen just about everything at this point! Let’s not forget Henry’s loving wife, Joanna Lypiatt (Pamela Jane Gray, who plays Joanna seductive but conniving), who shows up at the flat late one night saying she lost her latch key…hmmm…my head is spinning again!

Nicholas Martin’s direction is a joy, as his actors have paired the pacing of Coward’s words seamlessly to their stage movement. Alexander Dodge’s set design is stunning and makes us happy to spend the entire play in Garry’s London flat. Jane Greenwood’s costume design beautifully and accurately reflects London of the 30’s, as do Tom Watson’s hair and wigs. Rui Rita’s lighting takes backstage to the acting, and is pleasant but not distracting. Drew Levy’s sound design allowed me to hear every word expertly coached by Dialect Coach Deborah Hecht, up in the balcony.

This revival of Present Laughter” had the audience, and me, rolling in the aisles. It’s three acts of near-slapstick antics. Go see Present Laughter and you will see why they say, “They don’t make ‘em like that anymore!”

Performances began at the American Airlines Theater, 227 West 42^nd Street, New York, NY 10036, January 2, 2010, and are scheduled to run through March 21, 2010. Opening night was January 21, 2010. Running time is 2 hours and 30 minutes with two 10 minute intermissions and is suitable for audiences of all ages. Tickets are available at the Theater and by calling (212) 719-1300 or online at www.roundabouttheatre.org