They sing the praises of Coward at ART

CAMBRIDGE -- The four actors relaxing in the lobby of the Zero Arrow Theatre have tackled some of the greatest roles in theater, including Mother Courage, Richard II, Shylock, and Pozzo. Between them, they have appeared in more than 200 productions at the American Repertory Theatre.

But tonight Remo Airaldi, Thomas Derrah, Will LeBow, and Karen MacDonald begin performances of something completely different: a musical revue. "A Marvelous Party! The Noel Coward Celebration" brings this quartet together to sing songs from the career of the playwright, songwriter, and novelist renowned for his wit and sophistication.

Although the ART is not known for producing musical theater, MacDonald is quick to point out that there are often opportunities to sing, including the recently concluded production and tour of "Oliver Twist."

"The dirty little secret is that we all started out in musical theater of one form or another," she says, including stints in rock bands (Derrah), musical improv (MacDonald), opera (Airaldi), and musical comedy (LeBow).

LeBow makes another key point. "You could probably get better singers," he says, "but that's not what this show is about. This material depends on charm, which is about how other people react to you."

Having worked together for so long, Derrah says, "We have a shorthand with each other. We also like each other, and we don't have to worry about stepping on each other's toes. We're not so much playing roles as playing ourselves, and I think our affection for each other comes through."

For the occasion, Zero Arrow Theatre is returning to the nightclub atmosphere of "The Onion Cellar," with that show's award-winning set featuring a doughnut-shaped lighting piece over the stage, table seating, and stools at the bar. "It's a great environment that allows us to work in different spaces," says Airaldi, "and gives the feel of Joe's Pub or the Orchard Club" in New York.

"A Marvelous Party!" is a collection of 33 songs as well as sketches, anecdotes, and commentary from Coward's 35-year career, with award-winner Scott Edmiston directing and Will McGarrahan (most recently seen in the Lyric Stage's "Souvenir") at the piano. Set up in chronological order roughly linked by themes in Coward's life -- his early musicals, the music hall work of the '40s, and his Vegas years in the '50s -- the revue offers the opportunity to rediscover the man and his music. Although Coward wrote more than 500 songs, only a few remain familiar standards, including "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" and "Mad About the Boy."

Airaldi says working on this piece has been a refreshing change. "Usually when we begin working on a production, we talk about how we're going to approach the material, what different angle we're going to take on it," he says. "But Scott has asked us to just come to this world."

Some of the songs are artifacts from a time gone by, and they're not flexible in terms of context, says Derrah, "but some of his mature work is very contemporary. The satire he points to in songs like 'Bad Times Around the Corner' is true because it's about human nature."

Airaldi says Coward's story songs offer lots of material for an actor to work with. "His lyrics are so funny, and he was brilliant at a quick turn of phrase," he says. MacDonald notes that Coward also had a strong love of country, as evidenced by the simple, lovely "London Pride," written during World War II.

But there's a bittersweet tone, too, says Derrah. "I think his song 'If Love Were All' speaks to his sense of disappointment. He'd gotten all this acclaim, especially from high society, but they were never going to accept him or his sexuality."

Coward's intelligence, his work ethic, and his strong opinions about people and class make him a much more complicated man than any of the actors realized, says LeBow. "He lamented his reputation for only having a talent to amuse," LeBow says, "but why isn't that a lot?"

Runs tonight through July 29. Tickets: $25, $45. 617-547-8300, amrep.org.

The incomparable John Kuntz plays a little girl's imaginary friend in the fascinating "Mr. Marmalade." Company One's production runs tonight through Aug. 11. Tickets: $25, $30. 617-933-8600, bostontheatrescene.com. . . . "Golden Girl" Rue McClanahan appears at Provincetown Town Hall Monday in "My First Five Husbands . . . and the Ones Who Got Away," a live version of her autobiography of the same name. Tickets: $70. 508-487-6424. . . . Broadway veteran Sarah Pfisterer ("Show Boat," "Phantom of the Opera") leads a cast of 65 in Reagle Players' "The King and I," through July 21. Gemz e de Lappe is re - creating Jerome Robbins's choreography. Tickets: $35-$48. 781-891-5600, reagleplayers.com.

Terry Byrne can be reached at trbyrne@aol.com.