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Post-Mortem

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  5w, 18m

A one-act play in eight scenes, written in 1930 by Coward after he saw, and was moved by, Journey's End by R.C. Sherriff.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    5w, 18m
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Docudrama/Historic
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

A one-act play in eight scenes, written in 1930 by Coward after he saw, and was moved by, Journey's End by R.C. Sherriff. John Cavan is a young English soldier, the son of a London editor, fighting in the trenches in 1917. He argues with his fellow soldier Perry Lomas, who believes John's father's newspaper is guilty of glorifying the war. At the end of the scene John is mortally wounded by enemy fire. The following six scenes take place in 1930 back in England, as John's ghost encounters friends, family, and his girlfriend Monica, and discovers what the war has meant to them - not a great deal, as it turns out. Finally, we return to 1917, and the scene of John's death. Post-Mortem is contained in the volume Noel Coward Collected Plays: Two.

Performing Groups
  • Time Period 1910s / WWI
  • Setting Various simple settings
  • Features Period Costumes

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Authors

Noël Coward

Noël Peirce Coward was born in 1899 and made his professional stage debut as Prince Mussel in The Goldfish at the age of 12, leading to many child actor appearances over the next few years. His breakthrough in playwriting was the controversial The Vortex (1924), which feature ...

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