A review by msand3
Design for Living by Noël Coward

2.0

2.5 stars Noël Coward's risqué comedy about a bisexual ménage à trois is dated, and surely doesn't come off as funny as if viewed on stage. There are some clever one-liners in this light comedy, but Coward doesn't attempt to make any larger statements about the structure of relationships or the fluidity of romantic love. The play doesn't challenge social norms as much as it flaunts a fantasy scenario in which these social norms don't even exist, a clever way to be "risqué" without directly grappling with the issues being satirized. Ernst Lubitsch's pre-Code film adaptation--which pretty much shares a title with Coward's play and nothing more--is far more memorable.