Plays, One
by Noël Coward, Noel Coward

Name: Plays, One
Brand: Noël Coward
SKU: 9780413460608
Rating: 4.04 (118 reviews)

Plays, One Book Cover — Plays, One Cover

Highlights

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Male

Interior Set British Comedy

What readers are saying

Readers generally appreciate the collection of Noël Coward's plays, particularly noting his clever writing and wit. Many enjoy the humor and character dynamics within plays like 'Hay Fever' and 'Fallen Angels'. However, some reviewers feel that certain plays, such as 'Easy Virtue' and 'The Vortex', do not resonate as well, describing them as slow or uninteresting.

Clever writing and wit Engaging character dynamics Hilarious moments Timeless humor Some plays feel outdated A few characters lack depth

Synopsis

This first volume in the Coward Collection contains four plays written within a two year period when Coward and the century were still in their 20s.

The volume is introduced by Sheridan Morley, Coward's first biographer.

Hay Fever

, a comedy of bad manners, concerns a weekend with friends of the Bliss family, who have all been invited independently for a weekend at their country house near Maidenhead.

The Vortex was a controversial drama in its time, introducing drug-addiction onto the stage at a time when alcoholism was barely mentioned.

Fallen Angels

, which is written for two star actresses was described as 'degenerate', 'vile', 'obscene', 'shocking' - the second half of the play is entirely taken up with an alcoholic duologue between the two women.

Easy Virtue is an elegant, laconic tribute to a lost world of drawing-room dramas, no other writer went more directly to the jugular of that moralistic, tight-lipped but fundamentally hypocritical 20s society.

"He is simply a phenomenon, and one that is unlikely to occur ever again in theatre history" Terence Rattigan