Philip Hoare, in his biography of Coward described
Semi-Monde as his ‘most daring play to date. In a chic Parisian hotel, a series of sexual
pairings take place through rendezvous, arguments, infidelities and
reconciliations: sexual deviance is undisguised…set in the bisexual
1920s, the play could easily be populated by characters of Coward”s
society’.

Point Valaine is ‘the
drama of a lurid episode of lust in the semi-tropics.. unmistakably the
work of a master of the stage’ (New York Times);
South Sea Bubble which
concerns ‘the Governor”s lady in the Isle of Samolo who plays with
native fire, nearly gets her wings singed, bashes her native admirer
with a bottle and at one of those Coward next-morning-at breakfast
scenes slips her way out of the scrape with feline grace.’ (Manchester
Guardian) whilst
Nude With Violin is a witty comedy about art fraud.