French Without Tears

Recent years have seen a sustained revival - of the work of Terence Rattigan. New productions have been greeted with surprised delight that the acknowledged master of the 'well-made play' can continue to provoke such powerful emotions. As Rattigan himself wrote, 'I believe that the best plays are about people, and not about things.' This volume is one of a series of new editions of his most enduring work. Each has an authoritative and up-to-date introduction, biographical sketch and chronology. The play that first made Rattigan's name and ran for over a thousand performances in the 1930s, French Without Tears is a masterpiece of light comedy about a group of 'bright young things' attempting to learn French on the Riviera amid myriad distractions. The original cast included Trevor Howard, Rex Harrison, Kay Hammond and Jessica Tandy. Reviewing a recent revival, the Daily Telegraph wrote: 'So we were not wrong, those of us who remember French Without Tears as delicious and somehow something more than a mere frolic.'.