Explore this Show
Overview
Synopsis
Noel Coward wrote Easy Virtue in 1924 when he was just 23, and it remains one of his least-known works. The play centers around the Whittaker’s, a dysfunctional family who seem to depend on tension and trauma. Colonel Whittaker is a former philanderer who now takes any and every opportunity to annoy his repressed and uptight wife, while their daughters, Marion and Hilda, are both highly strung and prone to meddling. Into this explosive mix enters John, their only son who has returned from the continent. However, the family is shocked to find that he has also returned with a wife, an older, glamorous divorcee with a scandalous past. It takes just three months for John and his wife, Larita, to learn that they married on impulse and are radically unsuited to each other. The play climaxes with Larita’s dramatic, jewel-laden appearance at the family dance, as she leaves the shrewish Whittaker women behind and returns her young husband to the hands of his wholesome former sweetheart.
Show Information
- Book
- Noël Coward
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 1925
- Genres
- Comedy, Drama
- Settings
- Period, Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- The hall of Colonel Whittaker’s House , The English countryside, 1920s
- Cast Size
- large
- Licensor
- None/royalty-free
- Ideal For
- Community Theatre, Regional Theatre, Professional Theatre, College/University, Includes Mature Adult, Young Adult, Adult, Late Teen Characters, Large Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
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Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
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|
Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
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Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher