By JoAnne Portnoy

 There’s alot of waiting involved in "Waiting in the Wings," the Noel Coward play which had a two-week run at Boston’s Colonial Theatre last month prior to its opening on Broadway in December. Waiting, that is, for something to happen...anything to happen for that matter. Written in the 1960’s when Coward’s career was waning, "Wings" lacks the usual lighthearted wit of his earlier, more well-known works. Intended as a comedy with some tender moments, it’s short on spunk and void of intensity. Still, the play does exude some charm and elegance, thanks to an accomplished cast.

The story takes place in a British retirement home for aging actresses who are financially unstable. Lauren Bacall plays Lotta, the latest boarder to sign on, while Rosemary Harris plays May, life-long rival of Lotta’s and now co-resident. The mysterious clash between these two characters is supposed to be the crux of this play, but by the time Bacall gets through her second costume change (she has five in all,) the two have all but kissed and made up, and there goes all hope for any spicy repartee or plotting catfights. The only other plot lines involve the humorous bumblings of a senile resident (played with abandon by Helen Stenborg,) the regular Sunday visits by a devoted old fan of one of the actresses (played by veteran actor Barnard Hughes,) a visit by a newspaper reporter whom the actresses fear may tarnish their images, and a seemingly hollow reconciliation between Bacall’s Lotta and her estranged son.

Lauren Bacall hasn’t appeared onstage since 1982 in "Woman of the Year," and it shows. She seems preoccupied with her lines, and unable to loosen up and let her performance flow. She seems somewhat out of place as well, in her masculine pant suits and oversized sweaters, which noticeably clash with the rest of the cast’s appropriate frumpy 1960’s attire. A similar fashion faux pas occurs when a journalist shows up in a skintight leather jumpsuit and hair in a flip, looking exactly like Diana Riggs’ Emma Peel character from "The Avengers." Is this an intentional bit of heavy-handed humor, or an oversight? You be the judge.

Accomplished stage performer Rosemary Harris, on the other hand, is luminous and in charge as the externally harsh but secretly tender actress at odds with how her life is playing out. Other terrific character actresses include Dana Ivey as a former army officer turned superintendent of the home who hasn’t lost her knack for military protocol, and Helena Carroll as a loose-cannon with an Irish brogue and an axe to grind.

Watching these esteemed stage actresses is a treat and does bring some merit to a dusty old play in need of some revising. Then again, Boston is a testing ground. Maybe Broadway will see a new and improved version.