NYTs Brooks Atkinson called it a work "of many moods... wistfully romantic, satirical, fantastic..." To make his points about love, Anouilh invented a story about twin brothers—Frederic, shy and sensitive, and Hugo, heartless and aggressive. To save Frederic from an unhappy marriage, Hugo distracts him by bringing to a ball a beautiful dancer who entrances everyone. The twins are played by the same actor. "Beautifully translated with wit and grace and style," said critic George Jean Nathan, that plays "like a theatrical miracle."
