Private Lives

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Private Lives

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  3w, 2m

Noël Coward

In Noël Coward’s sophisticated comedy classic, exes Elyot and Amanda, now honeymooning with new spouses, meet by chance in a French hotel and reignite their former passion – and enmity.

Image: 2010 West End Production (Tristram Kenton)

Private Lives

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 2m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Romantic Comedy
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior
Accolades
Accolades
  • Nominee: 2014 Olivier Award for Best Revival of a Play
Private Lives

Details

Summary
Revived in 2002 by the Royal National Theatre in a production that sparkled on Broadway, Private Lives is one of the most sophisticated, entertaining plays ever written. Elyot and Amanda, once married and now honeymooning with new spouses at the same hotel, 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. A uniquely humorous play boasting numerous successful Broadway runs with stars like Coward himself, Laurence Olivier, Tallulah Bankhead, Gertrude Lawrence, Tammy Grimes, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.
History
Private Lives premiered on 18 August 1930 at the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh, directed by playwright Noël Coward and starring Coward as Elyot, Gertrude Lawrence as Amanda, Laurence Olivier as Victor and Adrianne Allen as Sibyl. The play debuted on Broadway at the Times Square Theatre on 27 January 1931 with Coward, Lawrence and Olivier reprising their roles and Jill Esmond, who had married Olivier a few months earlier, as Sibyl.
Keywords
Performing Groups

SIBYL CHASE
ELYOT CHASE
VICTOR PRYNNE
AMANDA PRYNNE
LOUISE

  • Time Period 1930s
  • Setting

    A hotel terrace in France; Amanda's flat in Paris. 1930.

  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol
    • Mild Adult Themes
    • Smoking

Media

“Gorgeous, dazzling, fantastically funny.” – The New York Times

“A gleaming and gleeful comedy.” – The New York Post

“A brilliant comedy. A very funny play.” – Newsweek

Photos

  • Private Lives

    Image: 2010 West End Production (Tristram Kenton)

  • Private Lives

    Image: © Justin “Squigs” Robertson

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £85 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

    Please submit a license request to determine availability.

Scripts

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Authors

Noël Coward

Noël Coward

Noël Peirce Coward was born in 1899 and made his professional stage debut as Prince Mussel in The Goldfish at the age of 12, leading to many child actor appearances over the next few years. His breakthrough in playwriting was the controversial The Vortex (1924), which feature ...

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