Noël Coward classic gets a modern airing at the Gate

The waxing of female agency on the Gate’s stage in Private Lives echoes the changing of the guard in its management

Rebecca O’Mara and Shane O’Reilly in The Gate Theatre’s production of Private Lives by Noël Coward pat redmond

Private Lives

By Noël Coward, directed by Patrick Mason

The Gate Theatre, Dublin

Until June 24

Rating:***

The Gate Theatre in Dublin is having a moment of drama off its stage, as it witnesses a changing of the guard between the outgoing, and long-time, artistic director Michael Colgan, and new artistic director Selina Cartmell.

Noël Coward’s Private Lives sits in the middle of this exchange, and one could argue that it doesn’t deviate ...