<DIV><P>The Seventh volume in the Coward Collection. On <I>Quadrille</I>: "Miss Fontanne plays the madcap Marchioness with the<br>crackle and sheen of a five-pound note. Her eyes mock marvelously, her<br>voice cuts like a knife into a wedding cake, and the scene in Act<br>Three, on the eve of her elopement with Mr. Lung, is as delicious as<br>crushed ice." <I>Evening Standard</I>, 1952.</P><P> "The idea of <I>Peace in Our Time</I>",<br>Coward wrote "was conceived in Paris shortly after the Liberation. . .<br>I began to suspect that the physical effect of four years intermittent<br>bombing is far less damaging to the intrinsic character of a nation<br>than the spiritual effect of four years enemy occupation."</P><P>The<br>volume also contains four pieces from the <I>Tonight at 8.30</I> sequence: <I>We<br>Were Dancing</I> "provides a marvelously compact illustration of the way<br>the English public school spirit prevails even in moments of strenuous<br>passion." "<I>Shadow Play</I> is a musical fantasy. . . which gave Gertie and<br>me a chance to sing as romantically as we could, dance in the moonlight<br>and, we hoped, convince the audience that we were very fascinating<br>indeed"; and "<I>Family Album</I> - a sly satire on Victorian hypocrisy,<br>adorned with an unobtrusive but agreeable musical score. It was<br>stylised both in its decor and its performance, was a joy to play and<br>provided the whole talented company with good parts." <I>Star Chamber</I>,<br>closely based on Coward's experiences trying to co-ordinate his Actors'<br>Orphanage charity committee, is published here for the first time. </P></DIV>