In Blithe Spirit, Charles Condomine receives a visit from his first wife, Elvira
; unfortunately, Charles is now married to Ruth, and Elvira is a ghost. The bohe
mian protagonists of Hay Fever wreak emotional havoc on a houseful of weekend vi
sitors. And in Private Lives, a recently divorced couple find themselves in adjo
ining hotel rooms while on honeymoon with their new -- and wholly unsuitable --
spouses. Giddy, elegant, and serenely magnanimous in their appreciation of human
vice and folly, these plays are Noel Coward at his sophisticated best.
