“New musicals often require extra time for development,” explained Michael Kahn. “We felt that An Italian Straw Hat might be a more appropriate production for our 2009-2010 season. In its place, we will present our first production by Noël Coward, one of the greatest English playwrights of the last century.”

Design for Living, by Noël Coward, directed by Michael Kahn, May 12 to June 28, 2009, at Lansburgh Theatre

The master of 20th-century English comedy, Noël Coward continued the style of William Congreve and Oscar Wilde with this hilarious and sophisticated look at love, friendship and the joys and perils of fame. Filled with Coward’s trademark sparkling wit, Design for Living follows three glamorous Bohemians—Otto, Leo and Gilda—as they fall in and out of love with each other. Moving restlessly from Paris to London to New York, the three both pursue and repel each other in an ever-more-maddening love triangle. Michael Kahn directs this provocative and surprisingly moving modern comedy classic. -- www.shakespearetheatre.org