Eliot's haunting verse play, set in a country house in the north of England, was performed at the Westminster Theatre in London in March 1939, six months before the outbreak of war.'What is wonderful is the marvellous opening out of consciousness, the flowering of meaning, which makes the play an account of a spiritual experience. There are passages of great poetic beauty, and statements which are the fruits of a lifetime devoted to poetry.' Listener

T. S. Eliot