In the 1920s and 1930s Noël Coward mastered and defined the art of the revue sketch – short and often topical or satirical stage pieces, many of which were a lead-in to his famous songs. He wrote these sketches for the top revues of the 1920s and 1930s, including
London Calling! (1923) and Cochrane”s Revue of 1931.
This volume collects Coward”s best and most witty pieces, including
Rain Before Seven, the only sketch he performed with Gertrude Lawrence, and the hilarious parody,
Some Other Private Lives, in which Coward burlesques his own famous play,
Private Lives. Also included are short one-act plays never before published.
The collection includes an Introduction by Coward scholar Barry Day, setting the work in the context of its time and its dramatic form. A forgotten area of Coward”s writing is now back in print.