eBook - PDF
Present Laughter
About this book
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 in 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. This edition of the play is published to coincide with the National Theatre's production running from September 2007. The text features an introduction that considers the directorial decisions and interpretation in the National's production.
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. This edition of the play is published to coincide with the National Theatre's production running from September 2007. The text features an introduction that considers the directorial decisions and interpretation in the National's production.
Tools to learn more effectively
Saving Books
Keyword Search
Annotating Text
Listen to it instead
Information
Act
One
7
Monica
(
taking
off
her
hat
and
coat
)
Oh
dear!
Daphne
Why?
Monica
I
only
wondered.
Daphne
You’ve
no
idea
how
I
envy
you,
working
for
him,
but
then
I
expect
everybody
does.
It
must
be
absolute
heaven.
Monica
It’s
certainly
not
dull.
Daphne
I
hope
you
don’t
think
it’s
awful
me
staying
here
for
the
night
–
I
mean
it
does
look
rather
bad,
doesn’t
it?
Monica
Well,
really,
Miss
–
Miss—?
Daphne
Stillington.
Daphne
Stillington.
Monica
Miss
Stillington
–
it’s
hardly
my
business,
is
it?
Daphne
No,
I
suppose
not,
but
I
wouldn’t
like
you
to
think—
Monica
Seventeen
years
is
a
long
time,
Miss
Stillington.
I
gave
up
that
sort
of
thinking
in
the
spring
of
nineteen
twenty-two.
Daphne
Oh,
I
see.
Fred
comes
out
of
the
service
door
with
a
tray
of
orange
juice,
coffee
and
toast.
Fred
Will
you
’ave
it
in
here,
Miss,
or
in
the
bedroom?
Daphne
Here,
please.
Monica
I
think
it
would
really
be
more
comfortable
for
you
in
the
bedroom.
The
studio
becomes
rather
active
round
about
eleven.
People
call
you
know,
and
the
telephone
rings
.
.
.
.
Daphne
Very
well.
Monica
I’ll
let
you
know
the
minute
he
wakes
up.
Daphne
Thank
you
so
much.
Table of contents
- Cover
- Present Laughter: A Light Comedy in Three Acts
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn how to download books offline
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 990+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn about our mission
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more about Read Aloud
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS and Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app
Yes, you can access Present Laughter by Noël Coward in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & Drama. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.