Noel Coward's classic comedy of manners centers on the theatrical, wildly self-absorbed Bliss family, headed by retired actress Judith Bliss and her novelist husband David, whose grown children Sorel and Simon have inherited the family flair for melodrama and attention-seeking. Without telling one another, each family member independently invites a houseguest for the weekend, and the resulting collision of mismatched guests, none of whom expected the others, sets off a cascade of flirtations, jealous scenes, and theatrical role-playing that the Blisses treat as delightful entertainment rather than the social catastrophe their bewildered visitors experience. As the family drags their increasingly alarmed guests into elaborate games and staged emotional confrontations, the outsiders realize with growing horror that ordinary manners simply do not apply in this household, and by morning they slip away rather than endure another day of it. Coward's rapid-fire wit and his affectionate satire of theatrical narcissism make the play a showcase for actors who can commit fully to outrageous, larger-than-life behavior. It remains one of the most frequently produced English-language comedies of the twentieth century, prized for its brittle, sparkling dialogue.

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