Quadrille

Quadrille is a play by Noël Coward. It is a romantic comedy set in the mid-Victorian era, and depicts the romantic permutations when an English aristocrat elopes with the wife of an American businessman and the American falls in love with the aristocrat's deserted wife. The play premiered in London in 1952, starring Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt. It played on Broadway in 1955, with the same two players in the lead roles. History After a provincial tour beginning at the Manchester Opera House on 15 July 1952, the play opened at the Phoenix Theatre in London on 12 September 1952 and ran until 27 June 1953. The play starred Coward's friends Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt, with Griffith Jones, Marian Spencer and Sylvia Coleridge. The costumes and scenery were by Cecil Beaton and the play was directed by the author. It was fairly successful, running for 329 performances, but failed to match the outstanding popularity of his biggest pre-war hits. The Manchester Guardian praised the play for breaking away from Coward’s customary terse style and experimenting with romantic comedy "affectionate and sincere as well as amusing and elegant". The Times was unimpressed, describing the piece as "romantic fustian". Many of the reviews thought the plot derivative of Coward's pre-war hit, Private Lives. The acting of Fontanne and Lunt, however, was consistently praised, though The Daily Express called the production "a waste of expensive talent".