{"product_id":"tonight-at-8-30-paperback","title":"Tonight at 8.30 - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eNoël Coward\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten as a vehicle for Coward's own acting talents alongside his frequent stage partner Gertrude Lawrence, \u003ci\u003eTonight at 8:30 \u003c\/i\u003eis Coward's ambitious series of ten one-act plays which saw him breathe new life into the one-act form. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom vaudeville to satire, from farce to intricate comedy of manners, from melodrama to romance, these plays span the full, glorious range of Coward's writing. Peep through your fingers at the chaotic \u003ci\u003eRed Peppers \u003c\/i\u003emusic-hall show, witness a bankrupt couple use all \u003ci\u003eWays and Means\u003c\/i\u003e to scheme their way out of debt, and break your heart along with Laura in the famous \u003ci\u003eStill Life\u003c\/i\u003e, the original version of the film \u003ci\u003eBrief Encounter.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eFirst performed in London in 1936, the plays perfectly showcase Coward's talents as a playwright, providing a sparkling, fast-paced and remarkably varied selection of theatrical gems. Coward wrote of the first series of three plays with characteristic delight: 'They are all brilliantly written, exquisitely directed, and I am bewitching in all of them.' Gertrude Lawrence wrote to Coward in 1947, 'Dearest Noël, wherever I go . . . all I hear is \"please revive \u003ci\u003eTonight at 8.30\u003c\/i\u003e!\"'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll ten plays are collected together into this volume that features both Coward's own preface and an introduction by Barry Day, Coward expert and editor of \u003ci\u003eThe Letters of No\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eël Coward\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis new edition of\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eTonight at 8.30\u003c\/i\u003e is published to coincide with English Touring Theatre and the Nuffield Southampton's revival for the first time in the UK since Coward starred in them in 1936.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNoël Coward \u003c\/b\u003ewas born in 1899 in Teddington, Middlesex. He made his name as a playwright with \u003ci\u003eThe Vortex\u003c\/i\u003e (1924), in which he also appeared. His numerous other successful plays included \u003ci\u003eFallen Angels\u003c\/i\u003e (1925), \u003ci\u003eHay Fever\u003c\/i\u003e (1925), \u003ci\u003ePrivate Lives\u003c\/i\u003e (1933), \u003ci\u003eDesign for Living\u003c\/i\u003e (1933) and \u003ci\u003eBlithe Spirit\u003c\/i\u003e (1941). During the war he wrote screenplays such as \u003ci\u003eBrief Encounter\u003c\/i\u003e (1944) and \u003ci\u003eIn Which We Serve\u003c\/i\u003e (1942). In the fifties he began a new career as a cabaret entertainer. He published volumes of verse and a novel (\u003ci\u003ePomp and Circumstance\u003c\/i\u003e, 1960), two volumes of autobiography and four volumes of short stories: \u003ci\u003eTo Step Aside\u003c\/i\u003e (1939), \u003ci\u003eStar Quality\u003c\/i\u003e (1951), \u003ci\u003ePretty Polly Barlow\u003c\/i\u003e (1964) and \u003ci\u003eBon Voyage\u003c\/i\u003e (1967). He was knighted in 1970 and died three years later in Jamaica.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 304\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.64 x 7.81 x 5.06 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 15, 2014\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42717550641215,"sku":"9781472589439","price":29.08,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/a7b054b09608be797f4909338a8f5d9a.webp?v=1765078863","url":"https:\/\/dhlswag.com\/products\/tonight-at-8-30-paperback","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}