List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Noel Coward--Chronology Introduction--Impresario of Himself 1. THE POLITICS OF CHARM The Young Idea The Vortex Easy Virtue Present Laughter 2. COMEDIES OF BAD MANNERS Hay Fever Private Lives Design for Living Hands Across the Sea 3. 'SAVONAROLA IN EVENING DRESS'? Cavalcade This Happy Breed In Which We Serve 4. GHOSTS IN THE FUN MACHINE Blithe Spirit Relative Values Nide with Violin 5. PARTING SHOTS Waiting in the Wings A Song at Twilight Notes Bibliography Index

Praised by the New York Times Book Review as "probably the most intelligent and insightful writer on the theater today," John Lahr has twice won the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism, most recently for his work at The New Yorker, where he has written about theater and popular culture since 1992. Mr. Lahr has written sixteen books, among them the novels The Autograph Hound (1973) and Hot to Trot (1974); Light Fantastic: Adventures in Theater (1996); The Orton Diaries (editor, 1996); Notes on a Cowardly Lion: The Biography of Bert Lahr (California, 2000); Dame Edna Everage and the Rise of Western Civilisation (California, 2000); and Prick Up Your Ears: The Biography of Joe Orton (California, 2000).