What Is the Story of Present Laughter?
Present Laughter takes place in the home of famed actor Garry Essendine, a puffed-up charmer with a knack for histrionics, wooing women and extreme displays of vanity. With his birthday rapidly approaching, Essendine is poised to set off on a literal tour of Africa and a figurative midlife crisis, and his entire team—including an indifferent staff of servants, a wry personal secretary, a set of entangled business associates and a bemused ex-wife—is in hurried preparation for both. The actor’s expertly assembled life is upended when a predatory fan, an obsessed playwright and a young woman with more than Essendine’s resume on her mind are simultaneously thrown into the mix, all vying for the self-obsessed actor’s attention. As things spin wildly out of control, Essendine must scramble to keep his house of cards standing—and decide whether there’s room in his life to love anyone but himself.