Private Lives

Sophisticated, scandalous, and as sparkling as ever—Private Lives remains Noël Coward’s most entertaining comedy of manners. When divorced lovers Elyot and Amanda find themselves honeymooning with their new spouses—in adjacent hotel rooms—it takes only a candlelit argument and a kiss to reignite old passions. What follows is an elegant battle of wits filled with cutting repartee, broken records, and flying cocktails. First performed in 1930 with Coward and his great friend Gertrude Lawrence in the lead roles, Private Lives defined the glamorous, brittle humor of its age.

Sir Noël Peirce Coward (1899–1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and personal style. He achieved fame with his 1924 play The Vortex. By 1929 he was the world’s highest‑paid writer, celebrated for witty hits like Private Lives and Blithe Spirit. During WWII he entertained troops and wrote the film In Which We Serve, for which he received an Honorary Academy Award. Later acclaimed as a performer and film actor, he was knighted in 1970 and died in 1973.

Archie Krug Loss (1939–2010) was professor emeritus of English and American studies at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. During his thirty-six-year tenure, Loss served as head of what is now the college’s School of Humanities and Social. The recipient of the Penn State Behrend Council of Fellows Excellence in Research Award, he wrote or co-authored dozens of articles as well as four books.