Another winner from the folks at L.A. Theatre Works who bring together all-star casts to brilliantly perform plays from all genres. You can hear the actors having fun with the material.

It's unfortunate this item is out of print . . it contains fabulous performances by Patricia Routledge (Hyacinth of "Keeping Up Appearances", for all you Britcom fans), Paul Scofield, and Miriam Margolyes (occasional star of the "Blackadder" series). This edition of "Private Lives" FAR excels the currently available audiocassette version, done by the LA Theatre Works; although it may be rather odd if you've seen Routledge and Scofield on TV, because they play parts suited for MUCH younger people in this comedy. If you're a fan of Coward's, I suggest you try to find this gem.

from the title (marvelous!) on, this older (1976) book remains the best read on Noel Coward around. It's all here, consumately engaging, lovingly presented, with dignity, style, charm and all the other positive things that the incomparable Mr. Coward possessed. It's the sort of book one reads again and again and continues to capture the essence of Coward.

This "anthology" by Noel Coward is wickedly funny. It contains brief biographies, photographs, and selections of poems by made-up poets, each as funny as the next. The names are priceless, e.g., E.A.I. Maunders, Crispin Pither, et. al. The perfect gift for the poet with a sense of humor.

This collection of short stories is nothing short of amazing. Please treat yourself to these underrated and terrifically "performed" pieces. Of particular note is the title piece "Star Quality." Mr. Coward, using his keen wit and history in the theatre, writes a humorous, touching, and biting story of a play from it's beginning to opening night introducing many memorable characters on the way, from the aging diva, to the gay writer and director (interesting since I believe the works were written pre-Gay Lib). Bitchiness reigns supreme. If you like "All About Eve" you will certainly enjoy this story as well as the others on the tapes.

I recieved my summer reading list for Honors English a few weeks ago, and under the section that held a list of three play titles to choose from, I came across Blithe Spirit. Having never heard of Noel Coward, or anything of the other two plays in this book (Hay Fever, and Private Lives) I decided to give the book a chance and I am pleased that I did. I am not a huge fan of reading plays, but after I read Blithe Spirit, I felt that I just had to keep going and read the other two. After reading this book, it is now very obvious to me that Noel Coward was a man with extreme talent, and an awful witty sense of humor. While reading these plays you come across some really interesting situations, and characters, and I guarentee that you will be smiling throughout the whole thing.

Noel Coward's talent for spinning gossamer plots into rapier-sharp comedy assures his reputation in theatre, and his comedies have such timeless appeal that they remain staples of both English and American theatre. This volume collects three of his most memorable scripts: the fantasy BLITHE SPIRIT, the farce HAY FEVER, and the razor-wicked PRIVATE LIVES.

Of the three, BLITHE SPIRIT and PRIVATE LIVES are best known to the general public through various film versions and frequent revivals. BLITHE SPIRIT concerns a novelist who invites a medium to give a seance that he might learn tricks of the trade for the book he is writing--but the medium is no fake, and she unintentionally summons up the ghost of his first wife, who promptly moves in and makes his second wife's life a living hell. PRIVATE LIVES offers the story of a divorced couple who unexpectedly meet while honeymooning with their new spouses--whom they quickly abandon in order to resume their torrid passion for each other. Trouble is, although they love each other desperately, their personalities are about as compatible as two scorpions in a bottle. HAY FEVER, one of Coward's earliest successes, presents the story of visitors to an eccentric family who are very nearly driven mad before they are able to escape.

Coward was reknowned for his sophistocated and often acid turn of phrase, and all three of these plays contain enough outrageous situations and sharp-tongued lines to make even the worst sourpuss laugh loud enough to annoy the neighbors. Although those unused to reading playscripts may find HAY FEVER a bit hard to grasp, both BLITHE SPIRIT and PRIVATE LIVES read extremely, extremely well--so much so that you're likely to find yourself acting them out as you read! Wonderful fun, and strongly, strongly recommended.

Noel Coward's _Hay Fever_, Evelyn Waugh's _Handful of Dust_, and Kingsley Amis's _Lucky Jim_ are, for my money, the three funniest things written in English in the 20th century. I was a drama critic for nearly 12 years, saw hundreds of productions of all kinds from coast to coast in the US and a few in London, and never laughed harder or enjoyed myself more than at a regional US production of "Hay Fever" in the late 1970's. Do it again! Do it again!

Great book of plays. Noel Coward is simply one of the wittiest playwrights in Contemporary Drama. The book is a very nice compendium of plays. I am a fan of "Private Lives" and here it comes in the package with the three other plays, all of which are worthy of a good read. Also, for Noel Coward fans in the New York vicinity, his play "Design for Living" will be appearing on the stage...

Noel Coward may have written all of his work before I was born but as this book shows his work is still relevent today. Noel Coward was a "master" of the theatre and his work discusses many issues that effect people today such as; drugs, homosexual relationships and alcohol abuse. The book takes a new look at Noel Coward as a relevent figure of the theatre today as well as yesterday. Any fan of Noel Coward should read it to recapture the reason they love Noel so much and new fans should read it to get to know the private life of the persona surrounding the English wit. All round the book covers a wide audience and encapsulates the readers attention and love of the one and only "master" of the theatre.

Too bad old Noel didn't write more novels. This one could be the only case in which Jean Kerr (or Susan Isaacs or Erma Bombeck) meets the likes of Joe Keenan,Alan Hollinghurst and Robert Rodi. Add to this the superb wit of Noel Coward and you have a book that is unique ! This is a good scolding of traditional hetero moral,but also of male selfishness . There's only a bit of the old Good Savage Myth...but I laughed a lot!

Some brilliant work here. The collection includes the title story, but my favourites include "Me and the Girls" - about a male rep artist recuperating in Switzerland from TB, reviewing his life with the troupe. "Mr and Mrs Bridges" is also in here - a British couple representing the UK on an otherwise American-occupied island during the war, and their relationship to each other, and to the crown. "Penny Dreadful" - a smalltime writer's life story.

Noel Coward mentioned that the stories were among his hardest to write. They repay brilliantly. The man (as we all know) was simply a genius.

Incidentally, the BBC turned the top six into a series. I've also seen a longer version of "Mr and Mrs Bridges" - for some reason given an unhappy ending. Catch them if you can.