**"An honest, even profound reflection on the price of fame, with some
genuine sexual frisson and an undercurrent of pathos." - The Hollywood
Reporter
**
At the centre of his own universe sits matinee idol Garry Essendine:
suave, hedonistic and too old, says his wife, to be having numerous
affairs - his line of harmless, infatuated debutantes is largely
tolerated but playing closer to home is not. Just before he escapes on
tour to Africa the full extent of his misdemeanours is discovered... and
all hell breaks loose.
Noël Coward's Present Laughter premiered in the early years of the
Second World War just as such privileged lives were threatened with
fundamental social change, and remains one of the playwright's most
enduring hits.
This new edition is published in Methuen Drama's iconic Modern Classics
series to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Coward's death and
features a new introduction by Russell Jackson.