About the Play:

Private Lives was one of Royal National Theatre of Britain's top 100 plays of the 20th century.

Private Lives has long been a favourite of acting teachers for female/male scenes.

Private Lives is a full-length comedy by Noël Coward. Divorcées Elyot and Amanda unexpectedly meet while honeymooning with their respective new spouses and discover that their passion for – and irritation with – each other is just as strong as ever. Fireworks are inevitable. Private Lives is one of the most sophisticated, entertaining plays ever written.

Private Lives sees two newly-married couples occupying adjoining honeymoon suites in the same hotel. This sharply funny play of reversals focuses on Elyot and Amanda, a passionate but feuding couple who divorced five years before. Now honeymooning with new (and rather dull) spouses at the same hotel on the French Riviera, they meet by chance, reignite the old spark and impulsively elope. After days of being reunited, they again find their fiery romance alternating between passions of love and anger. Their aggrieved spouses appear and a roundelay of affiliations ensues as the women first stick together, then apart, and new partnerships are formed. Full of razor-sharp wit and quick-fire dialogue, Private Lives is Noël Coward's most popular and enduring stage comedy

Private Lives premiered in 1930 at the King's Theatre in Edinburgh and opened later that year at London's Phoenix Theatre to packed houses. Since then, this charming comedy of manners has boasted numerous successful Broadway runs and retained its remarkable appeal, captivating audiences all over the world. The play has become a favourite scene study vehicle in acting classes and workshops and is regularly performed in regional repertory, college, and community theatre productions.

Cast: 3 female, 2 male

What people say:

"Gorgeous, dazzling, fantastically funny." — The New York Times

"A gleaming and gleeful comedy." — New York Post

"A brilliant comedy. A very funny play." — Newsweek

About the Playwright:

Sir Noël Coward (1899-1973) was one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th Century. Also a composer, director, actor and singer, he first made his name as a playwright with The Vortex, in which he also appeared. His numerous other successful plays included Fallen Angels, Hay Fever, Private Lives, Design for Living, and Blithe Spirit. He was knighted in 1970.