diff --git a/src/ProjectAudioManager.cpp b/src/ProjectAudioManager.cpp
index a4a006326..c80c3f661 100644
--- a/src/ProjectAudioManager.cpp
+++ b/src/ProjectAudioManager.cpp
@@ -192,6 +192,18 @@ void ProjectAudioManager::OnSoundActivationThreshold()
    }
 }
 
+bool ProjectAudioManager::Playing() const
+{
+   auto gAudioIO = AudioIO::Get();
+   return
+      gAudioIO->IsBusy() &&
+      ControlToolBar::Get( mProject ).CanStopAudioStream() &&
+      // ... and not merely monitoring
+      !gAudioIO->IsMonitoring() &&
+      // ... and not punch-and-roll recording
+      gAudioIO->GetNumCaptureChannels() == 0;
+}
+
 bool ProjectAudioManager::Recording() const
 {
    auto gAudioIO = AudioIO::Get();
@@ -265,7 +277,6 @@ bool DoPlayStopSelect
    //If busy, stop playing, make sure everything is unpaused.
    if (scrubber.HasMark() ||
        gAudioIO->IsStreamActive(token)) {
-      toolbar.SetPlay(false);        //Pops
       toolbar.SetStop(true);         //Pushes stop down
 
       // change the selection
@@ -321,7 +332,6 @@ void DoPlayStopSelect(AudacityProject &project)
       toolbar.OnStop(evt);
    else if (!gAudioIO->IsBusy()) {
       //Otherwise, start playing (assuming audio I/O isn't busy)
-      //toolbar->SetPlay(true); // Not needed as set in PlayPlayRegion()
       toolbar.SetStop(false);
 
       // Will automatically set mLastPlayMode
diff --git a/src/ProjectAudioManager.h b/src/ProjectAudioManager.h
index d3a6cad4f..67bba4da7 100644
--- a/src/ProjectAudioManager.h
+++ b/src/ProjectAudioManager.h
@@ -36,16 +36,22 @@ public:
    void ResetTimerRecordCancelled() { mTimerRecordCanceled = false; }
 
    bool Paused() const { return mPaused; }
-   
+
+   bool Playing() const;
+
    // Whether recording into this project (not just into some project) is
    // active
    bool Recording() const;
 
    // Whether the last attempt to start recording requested appending to tracks
    bool Appending() const { return mAppending; }
+   bool Looping() const { return mLooping; }
+   bool Cutting() const { return mCutting; }
 
    void SetPaused( bool value ) { mPaused = value; }
    void SetAppending( bool value ) { mAppending = value; }
+   void SetLooping( bool value ) { mLooping = value; }
+   void SetCutting( bool value ) { mCutting = value; }
 
 private:
    // Audio IO callback methods
@@ -63,6 +69,8 @@ private:
 
    bool mPaused{ false };
    bool mAppending{ false };
+   bool mLooping{ false };
+   bool mCutting{ false };
 };
 
 AudioIOStartStreamOptions DefaultPlayOptions( AudacityProject &project );
diff --git a/src/menus/TransportMenus.cpp b/src/menus/TransportMenus.cpp
index adaff0849..5cb99df4f 100644
--- a/src/menus/TransportMenus.cpp
+++ b/src/menus/TransportMenus.cpp
@@ -42,8 +42,7 @@ namespace {
 /// and pops the play button up.  Then, if nothing is now
 /// playing, it pushes the play button down and enables
 /// the stop button.
-bool MakeReadyToPlay(AudacityProject &project,
-   bool loop = false, bool cutpreview = false)
+bool MakeReadyToPlay(AudacityProject &project)
 {
    auto &toolbar = ControlToolBar::Get( project );
    wxCommandEvent evt;
@@ -53,6 +52,7 @@ bool MakeReadyToPlay(AudacityProject &project,
    if (gAudioIO->IsStreamActive(
       ProjectAudioIO::Get( project ).GetAudioIOToken()
    )) {
+      // Make momentary changes of button appearances
       toolbar.SetPlay(false);        //Pops
       toolbar.SetStop(true);         //Pushes stop down
       toolbar.OnStop(evt);
@@ -65,11 +65,6 @@ bool MakeReadyToPlay(AudacityProject &project,
    if (gAudioIO->IsBusy())
       return false;
 
-   ControlToolBar::PlayAppearance appearance =
-      cutpreview ? ControlToolBar::PlayAppearance::CutPreview
-      : loop ? ControlToolBar::PlayAppearance::Looped
-      : ControlToolBar::PlayAppearance::Straight;
-   toolbar.SetPlay(true, appearance);
    toolbar.SetStop(false);
 
    return true;
@@ -97,7 +92,6 @@ void DoPlayStop(const CommandContext &context)
    //If this project is playing, stop playing, make sure everything is unpaused.
    auto gAudioIO = AudioIOBase::Get();
    if (gAudioIO->IsStreamActive(token)) {
-      toolbar.SetPlay(false);        //Pops
       toolbar.SetStop(true);         //Pushes stop down
       toolbar.StopPlaying();
    }
@@ -116,7 +110,6 @@ void DoPlayStop(const CommandContext &context)
       if(iter != finish) {
          auto otherProject = *iter;
          auto &otherToolbar = ControlToolBar::Get( *otherProject );
-         otherToolbar.SetPlay(false);        //Pops
          otherToolbar.SetStop(true);         //Pushes stop down
          otherToolbar.StopPlaying();
       }
@@ -126,7 +119,6 @@ void DoPlayStop(const CommandContext &context)
          //update the playing area
          window.TP_DisplaySelection();
          //Otherwise, start playing (assuming audio I/O isn't busy)
-         //toolbar->SetPlay(true); // Not needed as done in PlayPlayRegion.
          toolbar.SetStop(false);
 
          // Will automatically set mLastPlayMode
@@ -135,7 +127,6 @@ void DoPlayStop(const CommandContext &context)
    }
    else if (!gAudioIO->IsBusy()) {
       //Otherwise, start playing (assuming audio I/O isn't busy)
-      //toolbar->SetPlay(true); // Not needed as done in PlayPlayRegion.
       toolbar.SetStop(false);
 
       // Will automatically set mLastPlayMode
@@ -223,7 +214,7 @@ void OnPlayLooped(const CommandContext &context)
 {
    auto &project = context.project;
 
-   if( !MakeReadyToPlay(project, true) )
+   if( !MakeReadyToPlay(project) )
       return;
 
    // Now play in a loop
@@ -790,7 +781,7 @@ void OnPlayCutPreview(const CommandContext &context)
 {
    auto &project = context.project;
 
-   if ( !MakeReadyToPlay(project, false, true) )
+   if ( !MakeReadyToPlay(project) )
       return;
 
    // Play with cut preview
diff --git a/src/toolbars/ControlToolBar.cpp b/src/toolbars/ControlToolBar.cpp
index 42a3209d9..a2eedb66f 100644
--- a/src/toolbars/ControlToolBar.cpp
+++ b/src/toolbars/ControlToolBar.cpp
@@ -535,6 +535,8 @@ int ControlToolBar::PlayPlayRegion(const SelectedRegion &selectedRegion,
                                    bool playWhiteSpace /* = false */)
 // STRONG-GUARANTEE (for state of mCutPreviewTracks)
 {
+   auto &projectAudioManager = ProjectAudioManager::Get( mProject );
+
    if (!CanStopAudioStream())
       return -1;
 
@@ -556,23 +558,12 @@ int ControlToolBar::PlayPlayRegion(const SelectedRegion &selectedRegion,
    if (backwards)
       std::swap(t0, t1);
 
-   {
-      PlayAppearance appearance;
-      switch( mode ) {
-         case PlayMode::cutPreviewPlay:
-            appearance = PlayAppearance::CutPreview; break;
-         case PlayMode::loopedPlay:
-            appearance = PlayAppearance::Looped; break;
-         default:
-            appearance = PlayAppearance::Straight; break;
-      }
-      SetPlay(true, appearance);
-   }
+   projectAudioManager.SetLooping( mode == PlayMode::loopedPlay );
+   projectAudioManager.SetCutting( mode == PlayMode::cutPreviewPlay );
 
    bool success = false;
    auto cleanup = finally( [&] {
       if (!success) {
-         SetPlay(false);
          SetStop(false);
       }
    } );
@@ -744,25 +735,28 @@ void ControlToolBar::PlayCurrentRegion(bool looped /* = false */,
 
 void ControlToolBar::OnKeyEvent(wxKeyEvent & event)
 {
+   // PRL: is this handler really ever reached?  Is the ControlToolBar ever
+   // focused?  Isn't there a global event filter that interprets the spacebar
+   // key (or other key chosen in preferences) and dispatches to DoPlayStop,
+   // according to CommandManager's table, before we come to this redundant
+   // function?
+
    if (event.ControlDown() || event.AltDown()) {
       event.Skip();
       return;
    }
 
    auto gAudioIO = AudioIOBase::Get();
+   auto &projectAudioManager = ProjectAudioManager::Get( mProject );
 
    // Does not appear to be needed on Linux. Perhaps on some other platform?
    // If so, "!CanStopAudioStream()" should probably apply.
    if (event.GetKeyCode() == WXK_SPACE) {
-      if (gAudioIO->IsStreamActive(
-         ProjectAudioIO::Get( mProject ).GetAudioIOToken()
-      )) {
-         SetPlay(false);
+      if ( projectAudioManager.Playing() || projectAudioManager.Recording() ) {
          SetStop(true);
          StopPlaying();
       }
       else if (!gAudioIO->IsBusy()) {
-         //SetPlay(true);// Not needed as done in PlayPlayRegion
          SetStop(false);
          PlayCurrentRegion();
       }
@@ -833,7 +827,9 @@ void ControlToolBar::StopPlaying(bool stopStream /* = true*/)
    SetStop(false);
    if(stopStream)
       gAudioIO->StopStream();
-   SetPlay(false);
+
+   projectAudioManager.SetLooping( false );
+   projectAudioManager.SetCutting( false );
 
    #ifdef EXPERIMENTAL_AUTOMATED_INPUT_LEVEL_ADJUSTMENT
       gAudioIO->AILADisable();
@@ -1068,7 +1064,6 @@ bool ControlToolBar::DoRecord(AudacityProject &project,
    bool success = false;
    auto cleanup = finally([&] {
       if (!success) {
-         SetPlay(false);
          SetStop(false);
       }
    });
@@ -1296,6 +1291,28 @@ void ControlToolBar::OnIdle(wxIdleEvent & event)
       mRecord->PushDown();
       mRecord->SetAlternateIdx( projectAudioManager.Appending() ? 0 : 1 );
    }
+
+   if ( !(projectAudioManager.Playing() || Scrubber::Get(mProject).HasMark())
+   ) {
+      mPlay->PopUp();
+      mPlay->SetAlternateIdx(
+         wxGetKeyState(WXK_CONTROL)
+         ? 2
+         : wxGetKeyState(WXK_SHIFT)
+            ? 1
+            : 0
+      );
+   }
+   else {
+      mPlay->PushDown();
+      mPlay->SetAlternateIdx(
+         projectAudioManager.Cutting()
+         ? 2
+         : projectAudioManager.Looping()
+            ? 1
+            : 0
+      );
+   }
    
    UpdateStatusBar();
    EnableDisableButtons();
diff --git a/src/tracks/ui/Scrubbing.cpp b/src/tracks/ui/Scrubbing.cpp
index c018944c2..630671a30 100644
--- a/src/tracks/ui/Scrubbing.cpp
+++ b/src/tracks/ui/Scrubbing.cpp
@@ -330,7 +330,6 @@ void Scrubber::MarkScrubStart(
    mSeeking = seek;
    CheckMenuItems();
 
-   ctb.SetPlay(true, ControlToolBar::PlayAppearance::Straight );
    // Commented out for Bug 1421
    //   mSeeking
    //   ? ControlToolBar::PlayAppearance::Seek
@@ -732,14 +731,6 @@ void Scrubber::StopScrubbing()
    mDragging = false;
    mSeeking = false;
 
-   if (!IsScrubbing())
-   {
-      // Marked scrub start, but
-      // didn't really play, but did change button apperance
-      auto &ctb = ControlToolBar::Get( *mProject );
-      ctb.SetPlay(false, ControlToolBar::PlayAppearance::Straight);
-   }
-
    AdornedRulerPanel::Get( *mProject ).DrawBothOverlays();
    CheckMenuItems();
 }