A thorough, useful, and handsomely produced compendium of [Coward s] extensive writing on the medium through which he most frequently and most effectively expressed himself . . . in Day s pages, Coward tells us that theater is not a place for ideas, for probing motive, for engaging with the dark or the barely understood in human life it is diversion, pure and simple. Simon Callow, Airmail
[Coward s] dual role equal parts revolutionary and reactionary is handsomely illuminated in Barry Day s Noël Coward on (and in) Theatre . . . Throughout, he addresses his subject with clear-eyed affection . . . compelling . . . a many-pieced mosaic of a man of many pieces. Brad Leithauser, Wall Street Journal
An illuminating collection of anecdotes, encomiums, and gripes . . . Theater fans will savor this portrait of a confident artist ( I am probably the best comedian alive ) whose wit wasn t confined to the stage . . . An entertaining peek behind the curtain at 60 years in the theater. Kirkus
Sparkling . . . Day s selections showcase Coward s dazzling prose, which is always lively, urbane, and stocked with well-aimed zingers . . . Theater pros and fans alike will revel in Coward s incisive, compulsively readable takes on showbiz. Publishers Weekly
BARRY DAY was born in England and received his M.A. from Balliol College, Oxford. He has written and produced plays and musical revues showcasing the work of Noël Coward, the Lunts, Oscar Wilde, and others. Day is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Trustee of the No l Coward Foundation and was awarded the Order of the British Empire.