Theatre Royal Bath is hosting a gender-swapped production of Noël Coward's 1942 comedy Present Laughter, with the estate authorising a version in which the central role of actor Garry Essendine becomes Geri, played by Tracy-Ann Oberman. Directed by Lindsay Posner, with Oberman also serving as dramaturg, the production shifts the setting from mid-20th-century London to 1970s New York and reverses six other characters' genders, reflecting how contemporary reworkings continue to find fresh angles in Coward's plays after Andrew Scott's celebrated bisexual reinterpretation of Garry at the Old Vic seven years ago.

Alongside Oberman's Geri, the secretary Monica becomes Monty (played by James Dreyfus) and ex-spouse Liz becomes Len, while playwright Roland Maule is reimagined as Rosina, an off-Broadway experimentalist. The production updates period and cultural references throughout, from Studio 54 and mock-Warhol artwork to altered dialogue that highlights shifting gendered language, and the reviewer praises Oberman's performance, evoking 1970s icons such as Dolly Parton and Farrah Fawcett, as a highlight. The show runs at Theatre Royal Bath until 5 September before continuing on a national tour.