Noel Coward's 'Present Laughter' from London's National Theatre

There is a wonderful programme that allows cinemas across the UK to screen productions from London as part of NTLive from the National Theatre. This week, I was entranced by Present Laughter by Noel Coward, originally performed at the Old Vic, another of our fine theatres.

We're particularly fortunate in Hitchin to have several theatre spaces, including The Richard Whitmore studio (named after one of the UK's most esteemed newsreaders and journalists, who lives in Hitchin). Twice a month, it is taken over by Hitchin Films for screenings of some real treasures and often for NTLive events.

Present Laughter is a delightful, farcical comedy with some very deep messages, hidden beneath the hilarity.

The play revolves around the indiscretions and career of Garry Essendine (played here by Andrew Scott), an actor who is somewhat self-obsessed - his surname is an anagram of 'neediness'. I love Coward's play on words. Apparently, the ideas behind Present Laughter were formulated over three years, although the play itself took Coward just six days to write. It has all the farcical elements of people hiding in rooms and various secrets revealed to different people and the audience at different, critical times.

Theatre in the provinces is alive and well, albeit aided by London's theatreland.