|
Revived in 2002 by the Royal National Theatre in a production that sparkled on Broadway, Private Lives is one of the most frolicsome tales ever written. Elyot and Amanda, once married and now honeymooning with new spouses at the same hotel, meet by chance, reignite the old spark and impulsively elope. After days of being reunited, they again find their fiery romance alternating between passions of love and anger. Their aggrieved spouses appear and a roundelay of affiliations ensues as the women first stick together, then apart, and new partnerships are formed. Eventually there is a knock down drag out fight which opens the eyes of Elyot and Amanda, who then steal off together a second time. A unique play with four successful Broadway runs boasting such stars as Coward himself, Laurence Olivier, Tallulah Bankhead, Gertrude Lawrence, Tammy Grimes, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, and most recently Alan Rickman and Lindsay Duncan.
|
