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Noël Coward on stage and screen

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This is a list of works and appearances by the English playwright, actor, singer and songwriter Noël Coward.

Stage works

[edit]
Title Description Written Premiere
The Last Chapter One-act comedy 1917[n 1] 1917[1][n 2]
Woman and Whisky One-act play 1918[n 3] 1918[2]
The Rat Trap Play in four acts 1918[n 4] 1926[4]
I'll Leave It to You Light comedy in three acts 1919 1920[5]
The Young Idea Comedy of youth in three acts 1921 1922[6]
Sirocco Play in three acts 1921[n 4] 1927[7][8][n 5]
The Better Half Comedy in one act 1921 1922[9]
The Queen Was in the Parlour[n 6] Play in three acts 1922[n 4] 1926[11]
Mild Oats Play in one act 1922 Unknown[n 7]
London Calling! Revue 1922–23[n 8] 1923[14]
Weatherwise Comedy in two scenes 1923[n 4] 1932[15]
Fallen Angels Comedy in three acts 1923[n 4] 1925[16]
The Vortex Play in three acts 1923 1924[17]
Hay Fever Comedy in three acts 1924 1925[18]
Easy Virtue Play in three acts 1924 1925[19]
On with the Dance Revue[n 9] 1924–25 1925[21]
Semi-Monde[n 10] Play in three acts 1926 1977[22]
This Was a Man Comedy in three acts 1926 1926[23]
The Marquise Comedy in three acts 1926 1927[24]
Home Chat Play in three acts 1927 1927[25]
This Year of Grace[n 11] Revue 1927–28 1928[26]
Bitter Sweet[n 12] Operetta 1928–29 1929[28]
Private Lives Intimate comedy in three acts 1929 1930[29]
Post-Mortem Play in eight scenes 1930 1992[n 13]
Cavalcade Play in three parts 1930–31 1931[31]
Words and Music Revue 1932 1932[32]
Design For Living Comedy in three acts 1932 1933[33]
Conversation Piece Romantic comedy with music 1933 1934[34]
Point Valaine Play in three acts 1934 1934[35]
Tonight at 8.30
Cycle of ten short plays, presented in groups of three:
We Were Dancing Comedy in two scenes 1935 1935[36]
The Astonished Heart Play in six scenes 1935 1935[36]
Red Peppers Interlude with music 1935 1935[36]
Hands Across the Sea Light comedy in one scene 1935 1935[37]
Fumed Oak Unpleasant comedy in two scenes 1935 1935[38]
Shadow Play Play with music 1935 1935[39]
Family Album Victorian comedy with music 1935 1935[40]
Star Chamber Light comedy in one act 1936 1936[41]
Ways and Means Comedy in three scenes 1936 1936[42]
Still Life Play in five scenes 1936 1936[43]
Operette Musical play 1937 1938[44]
Set to Music[n 14] Revue 1938 1939[46]
Present Laughter[n 15] Play in three acts 1939 1942[47]
This Happy Breed Play in three acts 1939[n 16] 1942[48]
Blithe Spirit Play in three acts 1941 1941[49]
Sigh No More Revue 1945 1945[50]
Pacific 1860 Musical romance 1946 1946[51]
Peace In Our Time Play in two acts 1946 1947[52]
Long Island Sound Comedy of manners in two acts[n 17] 1947 1989[54]
Ace of Clubs Musical play 1949 1950[55]
South Sea Bubble[n 18] Comedy in three acts 1949 1951[56]
Relative Values[n 19] Light comedy in three acts 1951 1951[57]
Quadrille Romantic comedy in three acts 1951–52 1952[58]
After the Ball[n 20] Musical play[n 21] 1953 1954[59]
Nude with Violin Comedy in three acts 1954 1956[61]
Volcano Play in two acts 1957 2002[n 22]
Look After Lulu! Three-act farce adapted from Georges Feydeau 1958 1959[64]
Waiting in the Wings Play in three acts 1959–60 1960[65]
Sail Away Musical comedy 1959–60 1961[66]
The Girl Who Came to Supper[n 23] Musical comedy 1963 1963[67]
Suite in Three Keys
Trilogy comprising:
A Song at Twilight Play in two scenes 1965 1966[68]
Shadows of the Evening Play in two scenes 1965 1966[68]
Come Into the Garden, Maud Play in two scenes 1965 1966[68]
Star Quality Comedy in three acts[n 24] 1967 1985[54]
Cowardy Custard Revue Various[n 25] 1972[69]
Oh, Coward! Revue Various[n 26] 1972[70]

Stage appearances

[edit]

London, except where stated otherwise

Year Role Venue
1911 Prince Mussel in The Goldfish by Lila Field Little, Royal Court Theatre, Crystal Palace
Cannard in The Great Name by Charles Hawtrey Prince of Wales
William in Where the Rainbow Ends by Clifford Mills and John Ramsey Savoy
1912 Mushroom in An Autumn Idyll by Ruby Ginner Savoy
The Boy in A Little Fowl Play, by Harold Owen London Coliseum
William in Where the Rainbow Ends Garrick
1913 An Angel in Hannele by Gerhart Hauptmann Liverpool Playhouse and Gaiety, Manchester
Tommy in War in the Air by Frank Dupree London Palladium
Understudy for Reginald Sheffield as Buster in Never Say Die by W. H. Post Apollo
Charity matinee of A Little Fowl Play London Opera House
Slightly in Peter Pan, by J. M. Barrie Duke of York's
1914 Toured as Slightly in Peter Pan
1915 Slightly in Peter Pan Duke of York's
The Slacker in Where the Rainbow Ends Garrick
1916 Charles Wykeham in Charley's Aunt by Brandon Thomas tour
Basil Pyecroft in The Light Blues, by Mark Ambient and Jack Hulbert (and understudy to Hulbert) Shaftesbury
Professional dancer with Eileen Denis at the Elysée restaurant
Jack Morrison in The Happy Family, by Cecil Aldin and Adrian Ross Prince of Wales
1917 Leicester Boyd in Wild Heather, by Dorothy Brandon Gaiety, Manchester
Ripley Guildford in The Saving Grace, by Haddon Chambers Garrick
1918 Courtney Bourner in Scandal by Cosmond Harrison Strand
1919 Ralph in The Knight of the Burning Pestle, by Francis Beaumont[n 27] Birmingham Repertory
1920 Bobbie Dermott in his own play, I'll Leave It to You Gaiety Manchester and New
Ralph in The Knight of the Burning Pestle Kingsway
1921 Clay Collins in Polly with a Past, by George Middleton and Guy Bolton St James's
1922 Sholto Brent in his own play, The Young Idea Prince's Theatre, Bristol, and tour
1923 Sholto Brent Savoy
Appeared in London Calling! (of which he was co-author) Duke of York's
1924 Nicky Lancaster in his own play, The Vortex Everyman Hampstead and Royalty
1925 Nicky Lancaster Comedy, Little, Henry Miller's, New York
1926 Lewis Dodd in The Constant Nymph , by Margaret Kennedy and Basil Dean New
1928 Clark Storey in The Second Man, by S. N. Behrman Playhouse Theatre
Appeared in his own revue, This Year of Grace Baltimore, and Selwyn Theatre, New York
1930 Captain Stanhope in Journey's End, by R. C. Sherriff Victoria. Singapore
Elyot Chase in his own play Private Lives Tour and Phoenix.
Fred in his own sketch Some Other Private Lives (charity matinee) Hippodrome
1931 Elyot Chase in Private Lives Times Square, New York
1933 Leo in his own play, Design for Living Hanna Cleveland and Ethel Barrymore, New York
1934 Paul, Duc de Chaucigny-Varennes, in his own operetta, Conversation Piece His Majesty's
1935 Pre-London tour in his own one-act plays, Tonight at 8.30
1936 Appeared in the ten plays of Tonight at 8.30 Phoenix
Appeared in the same plays (with the exception of Star Chamber) National, New York
1942 Charles Condomine in his own play, Blithe Spirit.[n 28] St James's
Toured in "Noël Coward's Play Parade" as Charles Condomine and as Garry Essendine and Frank Gibbons in his own plays, Present Laughter and This Happy Breed
1943 Garry Essendine in Present Laughter and Frank Gibbons in This Happy Breed Haymarket
1945 Two performances in his own revue, Sigh No More.[n 29] Piccadilly
1947 Garry Essendine in revival of Present Laughter Haymarket
1948 Three performances in Tonight at 8.30 (Hands Across the Sea, Shadow Play and Fumed Oak) during US tour.[n 30]
Appeared as Max Aramont in Joyeux Chagrins, the French translation of his Present Laughter Théâtre Édouard VII, Paris
1951 Concert, performing his own songs as try-out for London season (below) Theatre Royal, Brighton
Solo cabaret season (October) Café de Paris
1952 Two cabaret performances with Mary Martin in aid of the Actors' Orphanage (January and November) Café de Paris
Second solo cabaret season (June) Café de Paris
1953 King Magnus in The Apple Cart, by Bernard Shaw Haymarket
Third London solo cabaret season Café de Paris
Appeared in Stars at Midnight, one-off performance in aid of the Actors' Orphanage Palladium
1954 Introduced Marlene Dietrich's cabaret act Café de Paris
Appeared in Night of 100 Stars, in aid of the Actors' Orphanage Palladium
Fourth and final London solo cabaret season Café de Paris
Appeared at the Royal Variety Performance Palladium
1955 Solo cabaret season at the Desert Inn, Las Vegas
1956 Narrated Ogden Nash's verses for Carnival of the Animals Carnegie Hall, New York
1957 Sebastien in his own Nude with Violin Tour and Belasco Theatre New York and second tour
1958 Garry Essendine in Present Laughter Belasco Theatre and tour
Appeared in Night of 100 Stars, in aid of the Actors' Orphanage Palladium
Appeared in gala cabaret in Nice
1966 Appeared in his own Suite in Three Keys as Sir Hugo Latymer (A Song at Twilight), George Hilgay (Shadows of the Evening) and Verner Conklin (Come Into the Garden, Maud) Queen's
Source: Mander and Mitchenson.[76]

Songs

[edit]

Coward wrote more than three hundred songs. The Noël Coward Society's website, drawing on performing statistics from the publishers and the Performing Rights Society, names "Mad About the Boy" (from Words and Music) as Coward's most popular song, followed, in order, by:

In the society's second tier of favourites are:

  • "The Party's Over Now" (Words and Music)
  • "Dearest Love" (Operette)
  • "Dear Little Café" (Bitter Sweet)
  • "Parisian Pierrot" (London Calling!)
  • "Men About Town" (Tonight at 8.30)
  • "Twentieth Century Blues" (Cavalcade)
  • "Uncle Harry" (Pacific 1860)
  • "Don't Let's Be Beastly to the Germans" (1943)
  • "There Are Bad Times Just Around the Corner" (Globe Review)
  • "Dance, Little Lady" (This Year of Grace)
  • "Has Anybody Seen Our Ship?" (Tonight at 8.30)
  • "I Went to a Marvellous Party" (Set to Music)
  • "Nina" (Sigh No More)
  • "A Bar on the Piccola Marina" (1954)
  • "Why Must the Show Go On?" (Together With Music)
  • "Sail Away" (Ace of Clubs and Sail Away)
  • "Zigeuner" (Bitter Sweet)[77]

Cinema

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Adaptations and original films

[edit]

Actor

[edit]

Notes, references and sources

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Co-written with Esmé Wynne under their joint pen name, Esnomel.[1]
  2. ^ The title was changed to Ida Collaborates during the run.[1]
  3. ^ Co-written with Wynne.[2]
  4. ^ a b c d e One of five plays written early in Coward's career but not produced until, after his successes beginning with The Vortex and Hay Fever, producers were willing to stage them.[3]
  5. ^ Revised in 1927.[8]
  6. ^ Originally called Nadya, then Souvenir.[10]
  7. ^ Mander and Mitchenson describe the play as unperformed,[12] but newspaper archives record occasional performances from 1934 onwards. It is unclear if any of these were given by a professional company.[13]
  8. ^ Co-written with Ronald Jeans.[14]
  9. ^ Mainly by Coward, with some music by Philip Braham.[20]
  10. ^ Originally titled Ritz Bar.[22]
  11. ^ Titled Charles B. Cochran's 1928 Revue at its try-out in Manchester.[26]
  12. ^ Originally titled Sari Linden.[27]
  13. ^ It was first presented in a prisoner of war camp in Germany in 1944 and was given other amateur productions, but its first professional production was in 1992.[30]
  14. ^ A revised edition of Words and Music for Broadway.[45]
  15. ^ Originally titled Sweet Sorrow.[47]
  16. ^ Because of the outbreak of the Second World War, the 1939 production was cancelled; when Coward returned to acting in 1942, the play was finally produced.[48]
  17. ^ Based on Coward's 1939 short story What Mad Pursuit?[53]
  18. ^ Originally titled Island Fling for its world premiere in the US and later titled Home and Colonial.[56]
  19. ^ Originally titled Moxie.[57]
  20. ^ Based on Lady Windermere's Fan.[59]
  21. ^ Originally described as an operetta.[60]
  22. ^ A single "rehearsed reading" was given in June 1989 at The Mill, Sonning.[53] Mark Shenton called a 2012 production in the West End the first "major" production of the play,[62] and Michael Billington wrote that, until the 2012 production, it had been "unproduced".[63]
  23. ^ Based on The Sleeping Prince.[67]
  24. ^ Adapted by Coward from his 1951 short story of the same name.[53]
  25. ^ This was an anthology of Coward's words and music from the 1920s to the 1960s.[69]
  26. ^ A second Coward anthology.[70]
  27. ^ In Coward's day the play was thought to be a collaboration between Beaumont and John Fletcher:[71] Coward, who found the play boring, was uncomplimentary about both playwrights.[72]
  28. ^ For two weeks, to give the regular player of the part, Cecil Parker, a holiday during the long run.[73]
  29. ^ The regular player, Cyril Ritchard, was ill.[74]
  30. ^ Covering while the regular player, Graham Payn, was ill. This was the last time Coward appeared onstage with Gertrude Lawrence.[75]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Mander and Mitchenson, p. 25
  2. ^ a b Mander and Mitchenson, p. 26
  3. ^ Morley (1974), pp. 111 (The Rat Trap); 77 (Sirocco); 106 (The Queen Was in the Parlour); and 92 (Fallen Angels); and Mander and Mitchenson, p. 81 (Weatherwise)
  4. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 28
  5. ^ "I'll Leave It to You", The Times, 22 July 1920, p. 10; and Mander and Mitchenson, p. 36
  6. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 43
  7. ^ "Daly's Theatre", The Times, 25 November 1927, p. 14
  8. ^ a b Mander and Mitchenson, p. 52
  9. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 62
  10. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 65
  11. ^ Ervine, St John. "At the Play", The Observer, 29 August 1926, p. 9; and Mander and Mitchenson, p. 65
  12. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 584
  13. ^ "Mild Oats to Be Given Before Theatre Guild", The Palm Beach Post, 2 October 1934, p. 6; "Today at the Theaters", The Ithaca Journal, 11 April 1936, p. 2
  14. ^ a b Mander and Mitchenson, p. 74
  15. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 81
  16. ^ "Globe Theatre", The Times, 22 April 1925, p. 12; and Mander and Mitchenson, p. 83
  17. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 92
  18. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 103
  19. ^ "Duke of York's Theatre", The Times, 10 June 1926, p. 14; and Mander and Mitchenson, p. 114
  20. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 128
  21. ^ "On with the Dance", The Times, 1 May 1925, p. 12
  22. ^ a b Mander and Mitchenson, p. 140
  23. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 144
  24. ^ "Criterion Theatre", The Times, 17 February 1927, p. 12; and Mander and Mitchenson, p. 156
  25. ^ "Duke of York's Theatre", The Times, 26 October 1927, p. 12; and Mander and Mitchenson, p. 166
  26. ^ a b Mander and Mitchenson, p. 171
  27. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 183
  28. ^ "Bitter Sweet", The Times, 19 July 1929, p. 12
  29. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 208
  30. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 219
  31. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 228
  32. ^ "Mr Coward's Revue", The Times, 17 September 1932, p. 8; and Mander and Mitchenson, p. 240
  33. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 249
  34. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 260
  35. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 271
  36. ^ a b c "Theatres", The Manchester Guardian, 16 October 1935, p. 11; and "To-night at 8.30", The Times, 20 August 1935, p. 10
  37. ^ "Theatres", The Manchester Guardian, 19 October 1935, p. 15; and Mander and Mitchenson, p. 297
  38. ^ "Theatres", The Manchester Guardian, 19 October 1935, p. 15; and Mander and Mitchenson, p. 300
  39. ^ "Theatres", The Manchester Guardian, 19 October 1935, p. 15; and Mander and Mitchenson, p. 303
  40. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 306
  41. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 308
  42. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 311
  43. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 313
  44. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 326
  45. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 245
  46. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 339
  47. ^ a b Mander and Mitchenson, p. 345
  48. ^ a b Mander and Mitchenson, p. 357
  49. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 366
  50. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 378
  51. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 384
  52. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 395
  53. ^ a b c Mander and Mitchenson, p. 577
  54. ^ a b "Plays", Noël Coward Archive Trust. Retrieved 20 March 2020
  55. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 419
  56. ^ a b Mander and Mitchenson, p. 407
  57. ^ a b Mander and Mitchenson, p. 430
  58. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 440
  59. ^ a b Mander and Mitchenson, p. 450
  60. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 452
  61. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 460
  62. ^ Shenton, Mark. [1], Playbill, 17 July 2012
  63. ^ Billington, Michael. "Volcano – Review", The Guardian, 17 August 2012
  64. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 469
  65. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 481
  66. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 489
  67. ^ a b Mander and Mitchenson, p. 500
  68. ^ a b c Mander and Mitchenson, p. 513
  69. ^ a b Mander and Mitchenson, p. 530
  70. ^ a b Mander and Mitchenson, p 534
  71. ^ "Knight of the Burning Pestle, The", The Oxford Companion to English Literature, Oxford University Press, 2009 Retrieved 31 March 2020 (subscription required)
  72. ^ Castle, p. 38
  73. ^ Lesley, p. 230
  74. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, p. 381
  75. ^ Morley, p. 260
  76. ^ Mander and Mitchenson, Appendix 4, pp. 590–593
  77. ^ "Appendix 3 (The Relative Popularity of Coward's Works)", Noël Coward Music Index, accessed 29 November 2015
  78. ^ Contemporary Authors Online, Thomson Gale, 2004, accessed 30 December 2008: requires subscription; and Noel Coward at the IMDB database, accessed 12 March 2009

Sources

[edit]
  • Castle, Charles (1972). Noël. London: W H Allen. ISBN 978-0-491-00534-0.
  • Hoare, Philip (1995). Noël Coward, A Biography. London: Sinclair-Stevenson. ISBN 978-1-4081-0675-4.
  • Lesley, Cole (1976). The Life of Noël Coward. London: Cape. ISBN 978-0-224-01288-1.
  • Mander, Raymond; Mitchenson, Joe; Day, Barry Day; Morley, Sheridan (2000) [1957]. Theatrical Companion to Coward (second ed.). London: Oberon. ISBN 978-1-84002-054-0.
  • Morley, Sheridan (1974) [1969]. A Talent to Amuse. London: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-003863-7.
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