Auditions for Private Lives

Revived in 2002 by the Royal National Theatre in a production that sparkled on Broadway, Private Lives is one of the most sophisticated, entertaining plays ever written. Elyot and Amanda, once married and now honeymooning with new spouses at the same hotel, meet by chance, reignite the old spark and impulsively elope. After days of being reunited, they again find their fiery romance alternating between passions of love and anger. Their aggrieved spouses appear and a roundelay of affiliations ensues as the women first stick together, then apart, and new partnerships are formed. A uniquely humorous play boasting numerous successful Broadway runs with stars like Coward himself, Laurence Olivier, Tallulah Bankhead, Gertrude Lawrence, Tammy Grimes, Richard Burton, and Elizabeth Taylor.

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
Elyot Chase: handsome 30-ish man; divorced from Amanda, remarried to Sibyl.
Amanda Prynne: 30-ish, beautiful, vivacious, independent, and
unconventional. Elyot’s first wife and own true love; married to Victor.
Sibyl Chase: Elyot’s second wife, young, blonde, 23, and the antithesis of Amanda.
Victor Prynne: handsome man, late 30s-40, slightly stodgy, current husband of Amanda.
Louise: Amanda’s French-speaking maid, totally confused by the bizarre interactions of the two couples; provides comic relief in Act III.