Home Chat - The Noël Coward Society

DAVID BENSON Sings Noël Coward
theundoubtedCowardhitoftheseason!Alively
youngcastbreathe
freshnessintoaclassic
comedy.Themain
charactersaretruly
magnificentinthis
revivalthatexplores
themoresensual
undertonesofmodern
relationshipswhilst
retainingthetimeless
classicqualitiesofthis
Cowardmasterpiece
onlove.Catchitwhileyoucan!
“Noël Coward's greatest play has been
reinterpreted with raw emotion by director Lucy
Bailey, delivering a dramatic punch!”
Award-winning
soloperformer
DavidBenson
takeson
Coward’s
masterful
songbookinthis
delightful
eveningof
sparklingwitand
humour.Heis
accompaniedon
thepianoby
NCS member
StewartNicholls.
SeeDavid’snewwebsitefortourdates
Web:davidbenson.webs.com
BO:020-77229301Web:hampsteadtheatre.com
COMING UP . . .
SHUBERT THEATRE - BLITHE SPIRIT
FollowingtheSociety's
successfulreceptionin
CambridgeUniversitylastNovember,ledby
DenysRobinson,DominicVlastoandSalvador
LloretFarina,agroupofstudentsmetDenyson
25Januarytodiscussaprogrammeofeventsfor
anewCambridgeUniversityNoëlCoward
Society.LedbyElizabethDonnelly,whoplayed
JudithinarecentCambridgeproductionofHay
Fever,andAlexWinterbotham,theyhave
alreadybookedtheatrespaceatTrinityCollege
foraCowardproductionduringthesummer
Term.TheaimisthentohaveastallatFreshers'
FairinOctober,followedbyaCocktailsand
CabareteveningintheAutumnTerm."
Thecastingiscompleteandticketsarenowon
salefortheBroadwayrevivalofBlithe Spirit
thatpreviewsonFebruary26th.
BO:(212)239-6200Web:telecharge.com or
eventticketscenter.com
STAR QUALITY: The World of Noël Coward
April 17, 2009 - August 29, 2009
“Star Quality: I don’t know what it is, but I’ve got it!”
SosaidNoëlCowardandthisexhibitionat
TheMuseumofPerformanceandDesigninSan
Franciscodemonstratestowhatextenthehadit
andthroughhiswork,stilldoes!
Theexhibitionwillbeonpublicviewat
MPD,April17-August29,2009.Admissionis
free.GalleryhoursareWednesday-Saturday,
12:00-5:00pm.KathyWilliamsinherroleas
ournew‘USWestCoastLiaison’pointsoutthe
flurryofCowardproductionsandeventsthat
mirrortheverytitleoftheMPDCoward
Exhibition.Seenoëlcoward.com formore
informationonwhatishappeningintheSan
Franciscoarea!
PRESENT LAUGHTER
ThereturnoftheRoundaboutTheaterCompany
revivalofPresent Laughter isimminentwith
VictorGarberastheput-uponmatineeidol
GarryEssendine.NicholasMartin,whodirected
thecomedyfortheHuntingtonTheater
Companyin2007willdirectthenewshow.The
RoundaboutTheaterCompanyisat:231West
39thStreet.BO:(212)7191300
Web:roundabouttheatre.org
Page 12
ASCAP AWARD
for Barry Day
InNewYork,on
December9,2008.
The41stAnnual
ASCAPDeemsTaylor
Awardsfor
outstandingprint,
broadcastandnew
mediacoverageof
musictookplace.TheawardtoBarrywasas
‘PopMusicBooksHonoree’andtheplaque
says-“The ASCAP Deems Taylor Award to
Barry Day in recognition of the excellence of
his book ‘The Letters of Noël Coward.
Published by Alfred A. Knopf.”
Knopfpublisher,VickyWilsonsaid...
“Noël Coward prevails! This just shows the
power of Coward. And this book has
disproved one of the major tenets of
publishing law - that books of letters don't
sell. This book has been a triumph, with
many printings.”
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NOËL COWARD SOCIETY - DECEM B E R 2 0 0 9
OfficersoftheSocietyare:
Chairman:BarbaraLongford
Secretary:DenysRobinson
Treasurer:StephenGreenman
NorthAmericanDirector:
KenStarrett
USWestCoastLiaison:
KathyWilliams
RepresentativeforAustralia:
RobertWickham
RepresentativeforFrance:
HélèneCatsiapis
President: HRH The Duke of Kent, KG, GCMG, GCVO, ADC
Vice Presidents: Tammy Grimes • Penelope Keith CBE • Barry Day OBE • Stephen Fry
Unlessotherwisestatedall
imagesandtextarecopyright
toNCAventalesAG
Allcorrespondenceto:
TheEditor,
29WaldemarAvenue,
Hellesdon,Norwich,
NR66TB,UK
johnhunterknowles@mac.com
Tel:+44(0)1603486188
Editors:
JohnKnowlesandKenStarrett
DesignandProduction:
JohnKnowles
PublicationandDistribution:
StephenGreenman(UK)
KenStarrett(US)
MusicCorrespondent:
DominicVlasto
Contributionsareinvitedfrom
membersoftheSociety.
Theeditorreservestheright
toeditallcopy,imagesand
decideoninclusionofitems.
Detailsincludedin
‘What’sOn?’areasreceived,
withourthanks,from:
SamuelFrenchUKand
Canada(PlayPublishersand
Author’sRepresentatives),
KenStarrett(US),
AlanBrodieRepresentation
(ProfessionalProductions),
NCSmembersand
theatrecompanies.
For details of rights for
professional productions:
www.alanbrodie.com
For amateur productions
www.samuelfrench.com or
www.samuelfrenchlondon.co.uk
For publishing rights:
www.methuen.co.uk
For music rights:
www.warnerchappell.co.uk
Free
to members
of the
Society
Price £2 ($4)
A SUCCESSFUL DECADE
A
sthecreditcrunchcredo
dominatestheworldscene,
2009lookslikebeingayear
whenwewillchart
unknownterritoryasfaras
allourfinancesareconcerned.For
Cowardloverstheyearmarkstheendof
anunassailabledecadeasfarasinterest
in‘TheMaster’isconcerned.Sincethe
inceptionoftheSocietyinCoward’s
CentenaryYearof1999therehavebeen
moremajorrevivals,publications,
releasesofarchiveaudiorecordings,film
andvideo,exhibitions,amateur
productionsandgeneralinterestinSir
NoëlCowardthanwecouldeverhave
imagined.Creditofcoursegoestoall
thosewhoworkforandmanagethe
CowardEstate,producersanddirectors
whotakethefinancialrisk(nayIhear
youcry‘financialcertainty’)ofstaging
revivalsinthedemandingworldsof
BroadwayandtheWestEnd.
TheCowardFoundationplaysa
significantroleinfinancingawiderange
ofventuresthatsustainNoël’snameand
workforyoungstudentsandadultswith
scholarships,productions,concerts,
exhibitions,websites,archivesand
publishedinformation.
TheSocietyshouldalsotakecredit
foritspartinprovidinganaturalhome
forthosewhowishtosharetheirpassion
forCoward’slifeandwork.Inthepast
decadeithascarriedtheCowardname
acrosstheglobethroughitscommitment
toprovidinginformationoncurrent
events,productions,exhibitionsand
activityandofferingawindowintoa
widerangeofresources-andletsnot
forgetthesheerfunofalltheeventswe
haveenjoyed!Wehavedevelopeda
significantarchiveofreferencematerial,
providedthefirststepinwhatisnowa
familyofCowardwebsitesand
consistentlypublishedanewsletterthat
haswideinternationalsupport.
Soaswellasjoininginwiththerange
Our anniversary
year begins . . .
ofplannedeventsofferedbyBarbara
Longford,KenStarrettandtheNCS
committeefor2009,let’stakeaminute
ortwotocongratulateourcolleaguesand
ourselves.TothankthelateGraham,
PaynandSheridanMorley,DanyDasto,
BarryDayandGeoffreyJohnson,Alan
Brodieandhisstaff,aswellasallthe
CowardFoundationtrustees.
FortheSociety-tothankMichael
ImisonandGarethPikeforour
beginnings,allourpastandpresent
chairmen,officers,committeemembers
andrepresentatives-inparticularthe
tirelessKenStarrettintheUS.
Whoknowswhatthenextdecade
holdsforanyofusandfortheSociety
butletusignorethefinancialgloomthat
threatensandjoinintheSocietyactivities
plannedfortheyear.
AsBarryDayoftenasksofus:
“Help us keep the Coward flame alive!”
John Knowles
Marion Seldes
Donald Smith, Marion Seldes and Barry Day
Sir Donald
Sinden
Douglas Gordon and Roger Rees
Pictures from recent Noël Coward events in
New York and London
Ken Starrett, Barbara Longford,
Stephen Greenman Richard Holbrook
PHOTO: Rose Billings
PRIVATE LIVES attheHampsteadTheatreis
Home Chat isthenewsletter
ofTheNoëlCowardSociety
whollyownedby
NoëlCowardLtd.whichis
partofthecharitabletrust:
TheNoëlCowardFoundation.
PHOTO: Rose Billings
WHAT’S ON?
Details of some recent and future productions and events
see www.noëlcoward.net and www.noëlcoward.com for more. .
JOIN US IN 2009 - TO CELEBRATE THE SOCIETY’S TENTH BIRTHDAY!
10th Anniversary Celebrations
Events to look forward to in 2009
Sunday 10th May, 2009
The Noël Coward Treasure Hunt
“London Pride means our own dear town to us,
And our pride it for ever will be…”
D
ojoinotherNoëlCowardSocietymembersto
discoverthedelightsofNoëlCoward’sLondon,
andpityourwitsagainstthemasyoubattletowin
theNoëlCowardSociety’sTreasureHunt.There
willbeaprizeforthewinningteam.
Membersandtheirguestswillsetoffingroupsofnomore
thanfiveintheirquesttobecometheTreasureHuntchampions.
You’llstandingoodsteadifyouhavesomepriorknowledgeof
Coward’slifeandwork,butthere’llbeplentyforeveryoneto
getinvolvedwith,howevergreatorsmallyourknowledge,
fromcluesscatteredroundLondon,quizzes,wordsearchesand
games.Membersarewelcometoputtogethertheirownteams,
oralternatively,we’dbehappytoputtogetherteamsfor
members,butpleasedoletusknowwhatsuitsyoubestin
plentyoftime,sothatwecanmakesuretheteamsareallas
balancedaspossible.
PleasearrivepromptlyoutsidetheNoëlCowardTheatreat
12pmonSunday10thMay,armedwithaTravelcard.
Refreshmentswillbeprovidedattheendoftheday,but
memberswillneedtopurchasetheirownrefreshments,if
required,alongtheway.WeaimtofinishinacentralLondon
locationatapproximately4pm.Thecostis£5perperson,
payableontheday.
WouldinterestedmemberspleasecontactLisaFoster,
bye-mailto:lisa@alanbrodie.com ortel:02070797990,to
confirmtheirplace.
Lisa Foster
Sunday 5th July, 2009
A Noël Coward Gala performance of ‘Relative Values’
at the Hampton Hill Playhouse.
R
elative Values openedatLondon’sSavoyTheatrein
November,1951,afewdaysafterNoëlCoward’s
cabaretpremiereattheCafédeParis,andwashis
firstsuccessfulcomedyinalmostadecade.His
diaryentryforGoodFriday,March23rd1951reads
“Very good Friday, really. Suddenly evolved a comedy called
Moxie. It feels the sort of play I want to write - worked it out
with Joyce. (Carey).”26thMarch:“Eight pages done of Moxie
and rather good. The flow is beginning, and oh, the bliss of
writing dialogue after prose”.1stApril:“Finished the first act.
I have decided to change the title from Moxie to Relative
Values.”16thMay:“In the evening read Relative Values (Noël
was staying at Genessee Depot) to Lynn and Alfred, who were
genuinely crazy about it - no criticism at all - I was very
thrilled and pleased”.7thJune:“Three hours with Binkie
talking about Relative Values - everything he said was sensible
and, I think, right. He wants it in three acts instead of two and
strengthened here and there. Left him finally to go to a cocktail
party at Annie Rothermere’s for the Duke of Windsor - did not
stay long. Then went to Gladys and told her, as I had discussed
Page 2
with Binkie, the news that I would be having a new set-up for
Relative Values.”(Noëlwasusingadifferentsetdesignerfor
thefirsttimesinceThe Vortex in1924).30thJune:“Worked all
morning and finished the job (the script of ‘Relative Values’)
and think there is a great improvement.”
Relative Values wasfirstpresentedbyH.M.TennentLtd
andJohnC.WilsonattheTheatreRoyal,Newcastle,October
15th1951andhadasixweeks’tourinGlasgow,Oxford,
Brighton,BournemouthandLeeds.ItsfirstnightinLondon
wason28thNovemberwithAngelaBaddeleyasMoxie,
GladysCooperastheCountess,JudyCampbellasMiranda
FrayleandRichardLeechasCrestwell,apartplayedmost
successfullyinthe2005SalisburyPlayhouseproductionby
memberandcabaretstar,SimonGreen.Noël’sdiaryentryfor
thatdayisasfollows:“Rested most of the day in preparation for the strenuous
evening. Received the Duchess of Kent and Princess Margaret
at the theatre. First act started like ice and warmed up. The
royal ladies came up in each entr’acte for drinks and were very
sweet. The play went triumphantly. There was a terrific ovation
at the end but mercifully no speeches. Then on to Annie
(Rothermere)’s party. Then the Café - jammed full and wildly
enthusiastic. Dicky and Edwina were there. Then back to the
party - sang three songs and left not too late.”
ThisGalaperformanceattheHamptonHillPlayhouse
celebratestheTeddingtonTheatreClub’s10thanniversaryat
thetheatreandthe10thanniversaryofourSociety.
Subjecttootherprofessionalcommitments,PenelopeKeith
willbeourGuestofHonouronthisoccasion,whenshewillbe
formallyinauguratedasourVicePresident.‘TheWelcome
ChampagneGalaReception’willbeginat4.30p.m.andthe
performancewillbeat6.p.m.
(Pleasenotethedateinyourdiary.Bookingformswillbe
sentwiththeJuneeditionofHomeChat)
Barbara Longford
The Noël Coward Diaries, edited by Graham Payn &
Sheridan Morley were dedicated to the memory of Cole Lesley
and first published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 1982.
ISBN 297 78142 1
Saturday 10th October, 2009
‘Don’t Put Your Daughter on the Stage’
T
at London’s Hurlingham Club
heeveningwillbeginat6.p.m.withareceptionin
Hurlingham’sbeautifulPalmCourt,completewitha
largepalmtreebeneathaglassdome.Drinksand
canapéswillbeservedandthedresscodeonthis
occasionwillbeblacktie.Memberswillbeabletobuy
thethennewlypublishedlatestbookbyourVicePresident,
BarryDay,The Essential Noël Coward andBarryhopestojoin
usonthisoccasionandtosigncopies.At6.45p.m.werepairto
theMusgraveTheatre,whichisadjacenttothePalmCourt,for
theevening’sevents.JohnKnowleswillpresentanewly
compiledfilmaboutCoward.Thiswillbefollowedbyour
members’Cabaret,arrangedbyMusicalSupervisors,Celia
CologneandDominicVlasto.Therewillbeaspecial
professionalGuestAppearance,duringthecabaret,theidentity
BLITHE SPIRIT
B
lithespiritwasstartedonMay2nd1941.Itwas
finishedsixdayslaterandopenedinManchesteron
June16th.DespiteGrahamGreene’sinitialreview
thatdescribeditas‘awearyexhibitionofbadtaste,’
itranfor1,997performances-longerthanthewar
inwhichitwasborn.
Noëlandhisbestfriend,actressJoyceCareytookabrief
wartimebreakattheWelshresortofPortmeirion-latertobe
thesurrealisticsettingforthesuccessfulTVseriesThe
Prisoner.(Perhapsthesettinghadsomeinfluenceonthe
eventualsubjectmatter.)
JoycehadwrittenamoderatelysuccessfulplaySweet Aloes
in1937andwashopingthatthepeaceandquiet,awayfromthe
Londonairraids,wouldinspirehertowriteaplayshehadin
mindaboutKeats.ButwhileJoycewas‘wrestling with Keats
and Fanny Brawne’-abattleshewasnotdestinedtowinNoëldecidedtooccupyhimself...
“For some time past an idea for a light comedy had been
rattling at the door of my mind and I thought the time had come
to let it in and show it a little courtesy.”
“We settled ourselves into a pink guest house. The next
morning we sat on the beach with our backs against the sea
wall and discussed my idea exclusively for several hours . . . By
lunch time the title had emerged . . . (from Shelley’s ‘Hail to the,
Blithe Spirit! / Bird thou never wert . . .’) together with the
names of the characters and a rough, very rough outline of the
plot. At seven-thirty the next morning I sat, with the usual
nervous palpitations, at my typewriter . . . There was a pile of
virgin paper on my left and a box of carbons on my right. The
table wobbled and I put a wedge under one of the legs. I
smoked several cigarettes in rapid succession, staring gloomily
out of the window at the tide running out. I fixed the paper into
the machine and started - ‘Blithe Spirit, A light Comedy in
Three Acts.’ ”
WhentheplaywasfinishedonthefollowingFriday
evening,“disdaining archness and false modesty, I will admit
that I knew it was witty. I knew it was well constructed and I
also knew it would be a
success . . . Beyond a few
typographical errors, I made
no corrections and only two
lines of the original script
were ultimately cut.”
“I was not attempting to
break any records, to prove
how quickly I could write and
how clever I was. I was fully
prepared to revise and rewrite
the whole play, had I thought
it necessary, but I did not
think it necessary.”
Judy Campbell and Noël Coward in a
promotional photograph for the tour
Noëldid,however,
of Blithe Spirit 1942/43
incidentallyconfirmanother
kindofrecord-hisown.
Manyofhisbestandmostlastingplays-evenifhehadbeen
mullingovertheconceptforsometime-tendedtohaveashort
gestationperiod.
Private Lives tookhimfourdaystowrite,Present Laughter
sixand“good old ‘Hay Fever’ - written and conceived in about
three days in that little cottage in Dockenfield in 1924. What a
profitable weekend that was.”
as a brand new revival of Noël’s most popular comedy opens on
Broadway, Barry Day looks at the history of this ‘improbable farce.’
Part One: Portmeirion to Drama Critics Award
Heclaimedtobedisinterestedinrecordsbutonanother
occasionhepointedoutthat“Shakespeare never wrote anything
so quickly. Not even ‘Twelfth Night’ or ‘Macbeth’.” (Bothplays
weresupposedtohavetakentendaysfromwritingtofirst
performance.)
Afteranout-of-townopeninginManchester,Blithe Spirit
openedonJune1stat
thePiccadillyTheatre,
finallyclosingon
March9th1946.
Itisoftenassumed
thatNoëlcreatedthe
partofCharles
Condomine,infactit
wasCecilParker.Fay
Comptonplayedhis
Margaret Rutherford in the 1945 film
currentwife,Ruthand
version of Blithe Spirit
KayHammondwasa
‘luminous’Elvira.Inmanyways,though,theshowwasstolen
byMargaretRutherfordasMadameArcati-acharacterbased
onhisfriend,writerClemenceDane.
Therewasaminordramatohercasting.MissRutherford
wasakeensupporterofspiritualismandfelttheplaymadefun
ofmediums.Shewouldnotplaythepart.Ittookalavishlunch
andalloftheproducerBinkieBeaumont’soleaginouscharmto
talkherround.
Thepiece,heargued,wasanattackonfraudulentmediums.
Inthatcase,theladypersisted,howdidMadameArcatimanage
toraisetwoghosts?“Ah,”repliedBinkie,thinkingfeverishly,
“that was a stroke of luck that can happen to even fraudulent
mediums.”Apause,thenMissRutherfordnoddedherseveral
chinsinagreement.“Very well, but I must warn you that I
regard this as a very serious play, almost a tragedy. I don’t see
it as a comedy at all.”Whichispreciselythewaythatshe-and
severalsubsequentArcartis-haveplayedthepartandwhichis
whatmakesitsofunny.
Incidentally,whenHaroldPintercametodirectarevivalat
theNationalTheatrein1976,hewenttopainstotellthecast
thathe,too,sawtheplayasdark.
“Noël Coward calls this play an improbable farce. Well I
just wish to make one thing
clear - I do not regard it as
improbable and I do not
regard it as a farce.”
TheBroadway
productionwasalsostaged
in1941attheMorosco
TheatreonNovemberand
wentontherackup657
performanceswithNoël’s
oldfriendCliftonWebbas
Charles,PeggyWood-the
originalSarifromthe
LondonproductionofBitter
Sweet -asRuth,Leonora
CorbettasElviraand
MildredNatwickas
MadameArcati.
TheplaywontheBestPlayfromtheDramaCritics’Circle.
The story continues in the next edition of Home Chat
Page 11
andNCSmemberMichaelThornton,whowasalongtime
friendofKirkwood.Thedouble-CDisavailablefor£7.99
includingpostagewithintheUKfrom01923281281oronline
atwww.avidgroup.co.uk.
ThehighlightoftheCowardbirthdaycelebrationsin
LondonthisyearwasourannuallunchattheGarrickClub,
wherewewereentertainednotonlybyoururbanehostDonald
Sindenbutalso,inhisUKdebutpriortoamonth’srunatthe
NewEndTheatreHampstead,byJohnMichaelSwinbank
accompaniedbyTimCunniffe.JohnMichaelisbasedinPerth,
WesternAustralia,andhasbeendescribedas“Australia’s
foremostCowardexponent.”HisspecialaffinityforCoward’s
materialhasresultedin20overseastours,blazingatrailacross
theFarEast,MiddleEastand
IndiaandonboardtheQE2.
WithhimtoLondoncamea
fewcopiesofhisnewCD,Bitter
Sweet & Twisted (MM2501),
whichalongwithnumbersby
Sondheim,Gershwin,Hartand
Porterfeatures8Cowardtracks.
Themajorityofthesearecomedy
numbers,andtheCDkicksoff
withthreeinarow,‘ThereAreBadTimesJustAroundthe
Corner,’‘ABaronthePiccolaMarina’and‘UncleHarry,’allof
whicharedeliveredwithconsiderableaplombandexpertise,as
is‘MadDogsandEnglishmen’towardstheend,andhis‘Mrs
Worthington’givesaverynicely-judgedprogressionfrom
suavepolitenessatthestartto“tearingbloodyrage”bytheend.
Onecouldquibbleaboutmomentsoflyricunclarity,butthis
wouldbechurlishwhentheoveralleffectissoaccomplished.
JohnMichaelisablysupportedbyhislong-time
accompanist,TimCunniffe,awell-trainedmusicianwhodoes
anadmirablejobofnotover-accompanyingthecomedy
numbers.They,too(aswellasMessrsGreenandShrubsole),
havedonetheirCowardhomework,forheretheyalsogiveusa
recordingof‘AliceisAtItAgain’whichincludestheextra
versesgivenbyBarryDay.Idon’twanttomakeanysortof
comparisonbetweenthevocalstylesandmannerismsofthe
twoperformers,whichwouldbeinvidious,butIdothinkthat,
asanoverallconstructionforacabaretsongperformance,
SwinbankandCunniffe’sreconstructionhastheedgehere,and
I’drecommendhearingtheCDifonlyforthistrack.
Mygreatestdelight,however,bothinliveperformanceat
theGarrickandonthisCD,was/ishisrenditionof‘Matelot’,
whichIhaveseldomheardbetter-sung.There’ssomethingofa
hintofvulnerabilitythatJohnMichaelbringstothemusic,
whichisperhapsevenreminiscentofthevocalqualityandstyle
ofGrahamPaynhimself,whichseemsabsolutelyapposite,and
thesong’spitchrangeisexactlyrightforJohnMichael’svocal
range.Ifoundmyselfwishing,therefore,thatJohnMichael
hadrecordedmoreofthemelodic,lyricalnumbers,andfewer
ofthecomedynumbers–butthatisafairlylamecriticismand
it’stheonlyoneIhave.TheCDisavailabletopurchaseonline
(AUD$25)fromwww.miragecorporation.com (clickon
“OnlineShop”).
Finally,IamindebtedtoourUSmemberDrJamesGriffith,
forhelpingtodragmeintothetwenty-firstcenturybydrawing
myattentiontovariousCowardmusictrackswhichare
availableontheAppleiTunesStore(http://store.apple.com/us)
–butyouwillneedtheiTunesfacilityonyourcomputerin
ordertogetthewholeinteractivedisplaytooperate.Thisstore
ofdownloadablemusictracksisverywide-rangingindeed,and
leadstomanyfascinatingdiscoveriesofhithertounknown
coversofCoward’smusic,includingseveralhistorical
recordingsreissuedduringrecentyearsonCD.
Theresourceisdeadeasytouseandnavigate,allowing
searchestobemadeunder‘tracktitle”,“titleofAlbum”,“name
ofperformer”,etc,andthenallowingtheusertohearshort
audioclipsofeachitembroughtupbythesearch(youhaveto
paytobeabletodownloadtheentiretrack).Asearch,for
example,ofthetitle‘Zigeuner’throwsup148tracks,andan
astonishingelevenoftheseprovedtobecoversofCoward’s
songwhichIhadnotcomeacrossbefore,includingbyHinge
andBracket,ZoltanandHisGypsyEnsemble,jazzpianist
EddieHiggins,DarylSherman,Meredithd’Ambrosio,Art
Tatum(live),FrankieCarleandhisOrchestra,EddieSouth’s
Orchestra,TonyMarlin,andnofewerthansevenarchival
“takes”bytheArtieShawOrchestra,allofwhichwere
recordedatalaterdatethanthewell-known(andwonderful)
1939ArtieShawOrchestracoverof‘Zigeuner’(whichwas
fairlyrecentlyre-releasedonthePastPerfectlabel).
TheiTunesStorealsohelpedidentifyatleasttwoalbum
releasesfeaturingmultipleCowardnumberswhichhad
somehowdroppedbelowourradar.A2006releasebyArbors
RecordsentitledJubilee featuresDarylSherman(female
vocalist)andDaveMcKenna,withsixCowardtracks
(includingarathergood‘Zigeuner’),andtherearethree
Cowardtracks(‘AliceIsAtItAgain,’‘ABaronthePiccola
Marina’andtherare‘SpinningSong’)onthe2005release
Fallen Women and Virtuous Wives featuringDameFelicityLott
accompaniedbyGrahamJohnsoninliveperformanceatthe
WigmoreHall,whichareamazinglygood(asyouwouldexpect
inthehandsofsuchextremelyaccomplishedexponentsofthe
Liederrepertoire).
MyonlycriticismoftheiTunestracksisthattheamountof
informationgivenmeansthatonecanrarelyifeveridentifythe
recordingdateorlabeloftheoriginalreleaseofhistorical
recordings,norevenalwaysalltheperformers.Ishouldliketo
doso,ifonlyforthecompletenessandaccuracyofthenew
NCMI,intowhichallthisinformationaboutnotablerecordings
ofCoward’smusicwillsoonhavetobeadded.IcanseeImay
havetoputoutanappealforinformationbeforetoolong,so
continuetowatchthisNoëlCowardmusicalspace.
Dominic Vlasto
(dominicvlasto@btinternet.com)
Sad Loss of Angela Morley - Composer
1924 - 2009 Composer for the Goons, Hancock
AngelaMorley,whodiedon14January,aged84,wasbestknownfor and prestigious Hollywood films
creatingthemusicforclassicradiocomediesinthe1950sandprestigiousfilmscoresinthedecadesthat
followed.Shewasatranssexualwomanwho,before1972,wasknownasWallyStott,thenameunder
whichshewrotethethemetuneandincidentalmusicforHancock's Half Hour (1957-61)andwasthe
musicaldirectorofThe Goon Show (1952-60).Inthe1960sMrStottwentontoworkwithsuchdiverse
musiciansasShirleyBassey,DustySpringfieldandScottWalker.Shewrotefilmscoreforsomeofthemost
popularoffilmsandrecordedwithNoëlCowardinanalbumhemadebeforegoingofftocabaretinLas
Vegas.Seewww.angelamorley.com foradetailedbiographyofherlife.
Page 10
ofwhomwillremainasecretuntiltheevening.Theremayalso
betheopportunityofsomedancing,ledbyJudyShakespear
andStephenGreenmanandthereareothersurprisesinstore.
Thefirstpartoftheevening,whichwillcostapproximately£60
perhead,willendat8.45p.m.Membersmaystayonfordinner
attheclub,atanadditionalcost,tobeadvised.
(Please note the date in your diary. Booking forms will be sent
with the August edition of Home Chat)
Saturday 12th December, 2009
A.G.M. and Coward Birthday
Celebrations
10.a.m. The A.G.M. attheNoëlCowardTheatre,London
12 noon. TheAnnual Flower-Laying Ceremony atthe
TheatreRoyalDruryLane,followedbylunchatTheGarrick
Club(courtesyofMrStephenThorne)
(Please note the date in your diary. Booking forms will be sent
with the October edition of Home Chat)
‘Later than Spring’…..three Brits in New York
E
arlyinDecember2008,UKmembersStephen
Greenman,DouglasGordonandBarbaraLongford
travelledtoNewYorktoenjoytheeventsarrangedin
ManhattanbyourNorthAmericanDirector,Ken
Starrett.EachyearmembersgatheratNoëlCoward’s
statuesintheTheatreRoyal,DruryLaneandalsoatthe
GershwinTheatreonBroadwayforacelebrityflower-laying
ceremony.Thisyear,thehonourswereperformedatthe
GershwinbyMs.MarianSeldes,whoseownnameappearsin
thattheatre’sHallofFame.Althoughpossiblynotwell-known
toBritishmembers,MarianSeldesisanAmericanTonyawardwinningstage,film,radioandtelevisionactresswhomadeher
BroadwaydebutinMedea,in1947.Formanyyearsshetaught
inthedramadivisionattheJuillardSchoolwhilstperforming
onBroadwayinDeathtrap forfouryearsandthreeyearsin
Equus oppositeAnthonyHopkins,thenTonyPerkinsand
RichardBurton.KenStarretttoldusthataswellasbeinga
hugelyrespectedfigureintheAmericantheatre,MsSeldesis
alsoawell-likedpersonalityinNewYork,whoregularly
appearsinone-actmatineesatthePlayersClubandgivesa
greatdealofhertimehelpingaspiringyoungactors.Asshe
approachedNoël’sstatue,MsSeldesseemedtoscattersome
stardusttowardsusthroughtheeleganceandpitchofher
deliveryandherbeautyandwarmth.Shebeganhertributeby
sayingthatthefirsttwowordssheassociatedwithNoël
Cowardwere“love”and“work”.Thiswasatrueandastute
summingupofthemanandverymoving.Afterwards,atthe
LuncheonatthePalmWestRestaurant,MsSeldestoldusshe
regrettedleavingsomethingoutofherspeechandthatwasthat
allthegreatAmericanplaywrights,EugeneO’NeillandEdward
Albee,forexample,respectedandlovedCoward’swork.
AttheluncheonwewerejoinedbyDouglasGordon’s
specialguest-actor,MrRogerRees.BorninEngland,Roger
createdthetitleroleintheRoyalShakespeareCompany’s
productionofThe Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby and
wonbothanOlivierAwardandaTonyAwardforBestActorin
aPlay,in1982.DouglasandRogerarefriendsoflongstanding,havingmetintheiryouth,whentheywerebothin
Ralph Reader’s Band Shows.RalphReaderhadsuccessinthe
1920’sandearly30’sasachoreographerandproduceron
Broadway,butreturnedtoEnglandin1932andstartedthe
BandShows,whosesignaturetunewas“Ridingalongonthe
CrestofaWave”.RogernowlivesinNewYork.
Afterlunch,wewereentertainedtoaCowardcabaret,by
MrEricComstockandMsBarbaraFasano,acelebratedteamin
theNewYorknightclubworld,equallyrespectedinjazzand
cabaretcircles.Barbarabeganbysingingoneofherfavourite
Cowardsongs,‘SomethingVeryStrange’,fromSail Away,to
whichshehadbeenintroducedbyNCSVicePresident,Barry
Day.Theyalsoperformed‘ARoomwithaView’,‘IfLove
wereAll’andaveryentertainingversionof‘HomeSweet
Heaven’mentioning“GrahamandColeyandNaughtyNoëlly”.
WeBritsweremostappreciativeofthisexcellentcabaretand
hopethatoneofthesedaysweshallhavethepleasureofseeing
EricandBarbaraperforminginLondon.
Duringlunch,membersweregivenaspecialadvancecopyof
theCD‘ATalenttoAmuse’,anarchiverecordingofextractsfrom
ashowcelebratingthe70thbirthdayofNoëlCoward,whichtook
placeatthePhoenixTheatre,London,on16thDecember,1969.
ThisuniqueandpricelessrecordinghasbeeneditedbyJohn
Knowles,whohasadditionallyspentcountlesshourstracking
downcopyrightholders.Therecordingwillbemadeavailableto
allmembersassoonaspossibleandfurtherdetailswillappearin
afuturecopyofthismagazine.WewerealsogivenaspecialNoël
Cowarddiarydecoratedwitharedcarnation,Noël’sfavourite
flower.AnothertreatwasacopyoftheDecembereditionofthe
magazine‘CabaretScenes‘,whichcontainedafulllength,
illustratedarticleabouttheSociety,byPeterHaas.
CongratulationsareduetoKenStarrettforarrangingsuch
excellentandrarepublicityforourSociety.
OnSaturday6thDecember,membersgatheredatThePaley
CenterforMedia,whichhousesapermanentcollectionof
televisionandradioprogrammesinWest52ndStreet,nexttothe
21Club,justoffFifthAvenue.KenandRichardHolbrookhad
arrangedaspecialSocietyscreening,whichconsistedofa
recentlydiscoveredcopyofaneditionfromThe Mike Wallace
Profiles withNoëlCowardasthesubject.Thisbiographicalseries
ofspecialswashostedbytheprominentCBS-TVnewscaster
knownforco-hostingthelongrunningnewsmagazine60
Minutes.ThisepisodeoriginallyairedonChristmasnight,1981
andhadnotbeenseenpubliclyfor27years.Itcontainedthe
interviewmadelateinCoward’slife,whenheisaskedwhathe
considerstobethemostimportantthinginlifeandhisansweris
“love”.
WesawthefilmI Like America compiledbyJohnKnowles
andcontainingpreviouslyunseenfootage,filmedbyNoëlCoward
himself,whenhevisitedNewYorkinthe1930’s.SomeUK
memberssawthefilmattheBurghIslandHoteleventin
September2008andfuturescreeningswillbearranged.Wewere
presentedwithaSpecialEditionofHomeChat,toaccompanythe
film.
TherewasTessieO'SheaandthecastofThe Girl Who Came
To Supper,anextractfromThe Ed Sullivan Show originallyaired
onDecember22,1963,whichfeaturedMs.O'Sheaandthe
ensembleperforming‘TheLondonMedley.’Inouraudience,
accompaniedbyGeoffreyJohnson,wasoneofthedancersfrom
theshow,Ms.MaryZahn.
‘NoëlCowardwithAndreKostelanetz.’Thissegmentfrom
The Ed Sullivan Show originallyairedonApril8,1956and
featuredCowardperformingCamilleSaint-Saens’‘Carnivalof
Page 3
Animals’withKostelanetzandTheNewYorkPhilharmonic,as
wellassinging‘MadDogsandEnglishmen.’Finally,wesaw
‘NoelCowardwithMetropolitanOperasingerJeanMadeira,’
anothersegmentfromThe Ed Sullivan Show originallyairedon
December8,1957andfeaturingCowardperforming‘What's
GoingToHappenToTheTots?;’JeanMadeirasinging
‘Zigeuner;’andCowardsingingamedleyofhishitsongs.
AswellasMaryZahn,memberswelcomedotherspecial
guests,includingStephenBoockvorwhoappearedwithNoël
CowardinthetelevisionversionofAndrocles and The Lion.Mr
Boockvorhadplayedthelioness.JoeFranklin,thefamous
broadcastinglegendattendedandwewerepleasedtorenewour
acquaintancewithJimmyRobertsandRichardBarclay.
OnMonday8thDecember,StephenandBarbarawere
taken,byKen,tothePlayersClubatGramercyPark.Modelled
onLondon’sGarrickClub,thePlayerswasfoundedin1888by
EdwinBooth,America’spre-eminentShakespeareanactorand
wasthefirstAmerican“gentleman’sclub”ofitskind.Booth
purchasedan1847GreekRevivaltownhouseat16Gramercy
Parkandreservedanupperfloorforhishome,turningtherest
ofthebuildingintotheclubhouse.DesignedbyStanfordWhite,
theclubwasnameda‘NationalHistoricLandmark’in1962.
Oneofthereasonsforthefoundingoftheclubmayhave
beenthatonApril14th1865Edwin’syoungerbrother,John
Wilkes,apopularactor,assassinatedPresidentAbraham
Lincoln,afterwhichthelifeofhisfamilyandallactors,
changed.Boothestablishedasocialclubintendedtobring
actorsintocontactwithmenofdifferentprofessionsandinthe
officialtitlepapers,itstatesthatheshouldretainafurnished
apartmentforhisownusewherehecouldbeleftundisturbedas
hewished.Hediedinthere1893,aged59.Theroomisstill
preserved,justasheleftitandwewereallowedtovisitit
duringourspecialguidedtourbyMrDennisDavies.
Interestingly,inthenewMichaelHolroydbiographyofEllen
TerryandHenryIrving,there’sadescriptionofBooth’sreturn
totheUKin1880,whenheplayedinOthello,withEllenTerry
asDesdemonaandBoothandIrvingalternatingeachweekin
therolesofIagoandOthello.Holroydsays,“Though only four
years older than Irving, he was then very much more the
seasoned actor, coming as he did from a powerful theatre
family in the US (his father, Junius Brutus Booth, had been the
American counterpart and bitter rival of Britain’s Edmund
Kean).”
ThevisittothePlayerswasoneofthehighlightsofthetrip;
suchanelegantandatmosphericplacesteepedintheatre
history.TherewasaportraitofNoëlintheclub,butalasitwas
placedintheGentlemen’sroom.However,ourguidekindly
broughtitoutforaphotographtobetaken.Themainreasonfor
ourvisitwastoattendareadingofFumed Oak whichwasput
onbyanorganisationcalled‘FoodForThought’,whereby
well-knownactorsareinvitedtoperformplayreadingsaftera
clublunch.Kenhadbeeninvitedtoanswerquestionsabout
Coward’swork.DirectedbyAntonyMarsellis,thereadingwas
mostenjoyableandthecastwasasfollows:-Doris(Lizbeth
MacKay),MrsRockett(JuliaMcLaughlin)Henry(JohnShea)
andElsie(MiriamSilverman).OurthankstoSusanCharlotte
andthePlayers’stafffortheirwarmwelcome.
Anotherhighlightofthetrip,althoughnotdirectlyCowardrelated,wasavisitto‘TheLittleChurchAroundtheCorner’at
number1,East29thStreet.Itwassuchashocktoturnacorner
andseewhatlookedlikeanEnglishcountrychurch,setamidst
alltheskyscrapersandwiththeEmpireStateBuildingsoclose
by.Thechurchwasso-called,becausein1870JosephJefferson
wasrebuffedinarrangingforthefuneralofhisfriend,theactor
Page 4
GeorgeHollandandtoldthattherewasalittlechurcharound
thecornerwhere“theydothatsortofthing”.Jeffersonsaid
“Godblessthelittlechurcharoundthecorner”andaclose
relationshipwiththeatrepeoplehascontinuedtothisday.It
alsobroughtaboutthefounding,in1923,oftheEpiscopal
Actors’Guild,whowerepresentinganannualChristmas
LessonsandCarolsService,whenwevisited.Kentoldusthat
manyNCSmembersaremembersoftheGuild,includingits
President,MsElowynCastle.Thechurchcommemoratesmany
actorsandtheatrepeople,suchasRexHarrison,OtisSkinner,
GeorgeArlisandP.G.Wodehouse.
AvisittoNewYorkwouldbeincompletewithoutattending
somecabaret;indeedthatisoneofthemainattractionsforus
Britishasthecabaretscenehasallbutdiedoutoverhere.
SimonGreenisourmostrespectedsingerofCoward’smusic
butasIwriteIunderstandheishavingagreatsuccessoverin
NewYorkwithhisshowA Cabaret for Noël.Soweeagerly
awaitvisitsfromstarssuchasSteveRossandKTSullivanto
cheerus.Thisyearwesawasuperbcabaretshowperformedby
oneofouractiveSocietymembers-RichardHolbrook,
performinghisYuletide Magic at‘Don’tTellMama.’Richard
entertaineduswithasplendidselectionofChristmassongs,
accompaniedbytheTomNelsonTrio,anditwasgoodtobe
introducedtoasplendidnewsong‘ConfessionsofaNew
Yorker(Hate-LoveNewYork),’MusicandLyricsbyPortia
Nelson.Wewerejoinedatthis,andothereventsbyKathy
Williams,amemberfromSanFranciscowhohastravelledto
NewYorkwithherhusbandDan,forthecelebrations.
Afterwardsagroupofus,includingtheshow’sdirector,
RichardBarclay,dinedatJoeAllen’s.JoeAllen’s,Covent
Garden,London,isoneoftheUKmembers’favouritevenues.
Onourlastevening,wesawtheperformanceofanother
Societymember,AndreaMarcovicci,inherAndrea Sings
Movies showintheOakRoomatTheAlgonquin.Andreawas
insparklingformandwelookforwardtoseeingherbackin
Londonnextyear.OurthankstoBarbaraMcGurnforher
kindnessatTheAlgonquin.
OnbehalfofSocietymembersworldwide,aparticular
thankstoKenStarrettforallhistirelessandprofessionalwork
fortheSocietyinNewYork.Hiscontributiontooursuccessis
enormous.
FromStephen,DouglasandI,aspecialthankyoutoallour
friends,oldandnew,intheUS,whohelpedtomakeourstayso
wonderful-RichardBarclay,BobBriggs,PatriciaButton,
ArleneCohen,BarryandLynneDay,RichardHolbrook,
GeoffreyJohnson,MelindaLissauer,CorinneOrr,RogerRees,
TheRev.GerardoRamirez-Miller,JimmyRoberts,Donald
Smith,ReneSuarez-BarrioandKathyWilliamsandDan
Putman,
Barbara Longford
Michael Holroyd’s ‘A Strange Eventful History’, is published by
Chatto & Windus, London.
Barbara Longford and Matilda the Algonquin Cat
A NEW YEAR OF MUSIC MATTERS
W
by Dominic Vlasto
henthe‘NoëlCowardMusicIndex’wasfirst
finalizedforNCS,aroundthetimeofthe
Centenary,AlanFarleyandImadeeffortsto
assembleascomprehensiveandaccurate
listingsaswecouldofallhistoricalreleases
andnewrecordingsofCoward’smusic.Now,withthe
imminentmoveoftheNCMItoanewmusic-dedicatedwebsite
runbytheEstate(watchthisspaceforfurtherdetailsaswork
progresses),againthereisabitofapushtore-finalizethe
informationcontainedintheNCMIDiscographies.Perhaps,
therefore,ourantennaeareparticularlywell-tunedatthe
moment;butgenuinelythereisalsosuddenlymuch“new”
materialwhichpopsintotheframewhichisworthyof
comment.
AlanFarleyproduced,asalways,afascinatingCoward
Birthday Special broadcastonKALWSanFranciscojustbefore
Christmas.ThisyearthemusicheincludedfeaturedNCS
MemberSimonGreen,whowasatthetimepresentinghis
Cabaret for Noël toconsiderableacclaimatthe59E59Theatre
inNewYork.TheparticularitemAlanfeaturedwas‘AliceIs
AtItAgain,’takenfromSimonGreen’s2004CDreleaseTake
Me To The World,whoseproduction,fromalivestudio
performance,wasgenerouslysponsoredbyRobertandPirjo
Gardiner.Thisshowwasfilledwithneat,stylishrenditionsofa
widevarietyofshowsongsfrom
RogersandHarttoSondheimvia
CowardandFlandersandSwann.
Apartfrom‘Alice,’the
Cowardnumbersfeaturedby
Simoninthisperformancecome
inmedleys,andinclude‘TryTo
LearnToLove,’‘WhereArethe
SongsWeSung,’‘ARoomWitha
View’and‘I’llFollowMySecret
Heart.’Foraliverecording,thebalanceachievedbetweenthe
solovoice,theaccompanimentandtheaudienceisverygood
indeed,andtheaccompanimentitself(pianobyDavid
Shrubsole)ismostlysupportivelydiscreetandintelligent.
Simonbringsadelightfullypositive,clear,actorlydeliveryto
allhedoes,withavocalqualityratherreminiscentofcabaret
singerKitHeskethHarvey.Thiscanmeanthatsometimesthe
moreromanticnumberscomeacrossasatouchfranticperhapsnotquitemelodicallylyricalenough-butjustforthe
‘Alice’trackalonetheCDisworthapunt.Whatmakesthis
‘Alice’specialisthathedidhishomeworkinthewakeofBarry
Day’sissueofThe Complete Lyrics,andputtogethera“new”
versionwhichincludesboth“extra”lyricversesnotedbyBarry.
Iamunconvincedthatitactuallyaddsuptoabettercabaret
songinthislongerversion,northatGreen&Shrubsole’s
rhythmicdeliverythroughoutthesongisnecessarilythebest
wayofdoingthings,butit’scertainlya“first”andthecomplete
lyricsareverydelightfultohear,andbeautifullydelivered.
ForsomereasonIfailedtopickupthisrecording’s
existenceuntilquiterecently,perhapsbecauseitisonly
availableforpurchase(£13.99)atDressCircle,thoughI’ve
alsofounditavailableonebay.Gotowww.dresscircle.co.uk
andusethe“search”functionattopleftorfinditintheCD’s
folderunder“MaleVocal”.
ItisnotoftennowadaysthatyoucanhearCoward’smusic
playedbyastringtrio(PalmCourtorotherwise),butAlan
Farley’spreviousChristmasbroadcastshavefeaturedsome
mostinterestingnewarrangementsofCoward’smusicfor
stringtriobyMarkVolkert,AssistantConcertmasteroftheSan
FranciscoSymphony.ThesearenowavailableonCD,andall
loversofCoward’smusicwoulddowelltohaveacopyofthis
ontheirshelves,ifonlytoremindthemselvesofthe
outstandinglyricismthroughout
thescoreofBitter Sweet.
IgrantImaybebiasedhere,
duetobeingmyselfalifelong
playerofstringschambermusic,
butwillnonethelesssaythat
Volkert’s‘SuitefromBitter
Sweet’isamostfelicitous
adaptationofsomefineCoward
tunes,anditallworkswell,the
melodiessoundingnotintheleast“forced”intosuchadifferent
musicalmedium,andVolkert’scraftsmanshipinwritingwell
forthetechnicalcapabilitiesoftheinstrumentsisabove
criticism.Ifyoudon’talreadyknowthetunes‘Lifeinthe
Morning,’‘EvermoreandaDay,’‘GreenCarnation,’‘KissMe’
(andthesuitealsofeatures‘I’llSeeYouAgain’and‘Zigeuner’)
thenthiswouldbeaverygoodwayforyoutogettoknow
them.
Thediscincludesotherlovelyarrangementsofmusicby
FritzKreisler,FrancisLopezandIvorNovello,andcloseswith
afurthersuiteofCowardmusiccalledSail Away – a Tribute to
Graham Payn,whichwascommissionedbyAlanFarley.This
suiteincludesthetunes‘ILikeAmerica,’‘SailAway,’
‘Matelot,’‘SighNoMore’and‘WaitaBit,Joe,’andanyone
whowouldtreasurealasting,appropriateandnobletributeto
Grahamisurgedtoaddthistotheir
collection.Thediscmaybe
purchasedonlyfromtheSan
FranciscoOnlineStoreat
www.shopsfsymphony.org (click
on“CDs”,clickon“orchestra”).
AlsomemorializingGraham
Payn,asanadjuncttoitsmain
purpose,isanewdoubleCD
markingthefirstanniversaryofthe
deathofPatKirkwood,starofAce of Clubs.[AvidEasyAMSC
966]Thecompilationfeatures66songs,29ofwhichhave
theirfirstCDissue.These“firstissues”includeacontinuous
11-minutetrack–asortofextendedmedley-ofsevenCoward
numbersfromAce of Clubs:‘WhyDoesLoveGetintheWay?,’
‘ThisCouldBeTrue’(withGrahamPayn),‘MyKindofMan,’
‘I’dNever,NeverKnow,’‘InaBoatOnaLakeWithMy
Darling’(withGrahamPayn),‘Josephine’and‘ChaseMe
Charlie,’togetherwithacoupleofothertitlesinmusicalintros
andinterludes.Ararity,certainly,whichIforonehavenever
previouslyencountered.
AlsoonthisCDandnewtoourdiscographyaretwotracks
ofKirkwoodsingingCowardmaterial–‘IfLoveWereAll’
froma1968televisionbroadcast,beautifullyaccompaniedby
theWillFyffeJr.Trio,and‘LondonPride’recordedinlive
performanceonstageattheWimbledonTheatrein1993.And
shewasstilltheninstunningvoice!
Thelinerlistingsareextremelythorough,andthewellillustrated,expertly-writtennotesarebyDailyMailcolumnist
Page 9
T
NOTES FROM NEW YORK
heFlower-layingCeremonyattheGershwinTheatre,
theNCSAnnualLuncheon,andthescreeningatthe
PaleyCenterforMediawereeventsheldtocelebrate
NoëlCoward's109thbirthday.Buttherewasmuch
more.DuringthemonthofDecemberalloverNew
York,NCSmembersandtheirguestshadachancetosamplea
veritablefeastofCoward'splaysandmusic.AtthePlayers
ClubonDecember8th,theorganization,‘FoodforThought,’
presentedprofessionalactorsinastagedreadingofFumed
Oak.
ForthreeweeksbeginningDecember14th,theholiday
seasonwasmade
allthemore
festiveatthe59
East59thStreet
CafewhenMr.
SimonGreenand
hisaccompanist,
Mr.David
Shrubsole
presented
Simon Green and Ken Starrett
Coward at
Christmas.
ManyNCSmemberswhoattendedhisperformanceswere
thoroughlyentertainedbyablendofCowardclassics,lesserknownsongsandsomere-discoveredgems.Withcharmand
wit,Mr.Greengaveafreshinterpretationtosuchsongsas
‘AliceIsAtItAgain,’and‘What'sGoingToHappenToThe
Tots?’Itwasadelighttohear‘WhyMustTheShowGoOn?’
interspersedwithanecdotesfromCoward’sdiaries.‘Couldn't
WeKeeponDancing,’unearthedfromTheBritishLibrary,isa
lovelysongwrittenforOn With the Dance in1925.Mr.
Green’spolishedperformanceofmorethan20songswasthe
perfectholidaypackageforanyCowardfan.Muchpraisefrom
thecriticspromptedacompletesellout.
OnDecember
16ththeNational
ArtsClub
celebrated
Coward'sbirthday
withaunique
presentation.
Conceivedand
directedbyMr.
JeffreyStocker,
Ken Starrett, Jeffrey Stocker and the High school
headofthe
AmericanReaders students at the National Arts Club
TheatreProgram,theaudiencewasgivenadelicioustreat
calledThe Noël Coward Song Book.Thiseveningwasthefinal
resultofanintensive10-weekArts-in-EducationProgram,
fundedbyagrantfromtheNoëlCowardFoundation.Itwas
thefirstsuchgrantintheUnitedStates.Highschoolstudents
inMilford,Pennsylvaniaauditionedandtwelvewereselected
tobeapartofthisprogram.WorkingwithMr.Stockerand
theirmusicteacher,thestudents,whoknewnothingofCoward,
becameimmersedinlearningabouthislifeandmusic.They
performedmanyofCoward'spopularsongs,eitherassolosor
withcarefullydonechoralarrangements.Theexcitementof
theirdiscoverywasawonderfulexperiencefortheaudience
whogavethemastandingovation.Thestudentsandtheir
teacherwereclearlythrilledbytheenthusiasticresponseto
Page 8
whatforeveryonewasamemorableevening.
In2002theYorkTheatreCompanyinNewYorkCity
presented,forthefirsttimeintheUnitedStates,Mr.Barry
Day'sadaptationofNoëlCoward'sPacific 1860.Thispast
November,aspartofadevelopmentalreadingseries,audiences
attheYorkweredelightedbyagroupoftalentedperformersin
anotherCowardwork,Conversation Piece.Thiswasa
condensedversionfashionedbyMr.Dayanddesigner/director
Mr.TonyWalton.ThelasttimeNewYorksawthislovely
operettawasanoff-Broadwayproductionin1957,supervised
byCowardhimself.ItwasTonyWalton'sfirstdesigningjobin
theUnitedStates.
InDecember,alsoseenintheYorkserieswasThe Happy
Hypocrite,basedonan1896novellabyMaxBeerbohm.For
theiradaptation,TonyWaltonandBarryDayusedmusicby
NoëlCoward.Oneofthesongswasare-discoveredtreasure
writtenin1917-‘Isn'tThereAnyLittleThingThatICanDo
ForYou.’ThelyricswerewrittenbyCowardwhilestilla
teenager,tomusicbyIvorNovello,theninhistwenties.A
completelydifferentversionofthisnovellawaspresentedin
Londonin1936starringIvorNovelloandayoungVivien
Leigh.ItwaswrittenbyCoward'sclosefriendClemenceDane
withascorebyRichardAddinsell.
Usingmanyofthesameactorsandsingersforthetwo
plays,TonyWaltondirectedwiththethoughtofpossibly
presentingbothinasingleevening.Theatregoerswhosaw
thesepresentationswereservedarichhelpingofNoël
Coward’smusic.
OnJanuary15th,aspartoftheMetropolitanMuseum
ConcertandLectureSeries,Mr.DavidGarrardLowe,noted
lecturerandauthorknownforhismanybooksonarchitecture,
periodstyles,andarthistory,presentedaneveningdevotedto
NoëlCoward.Slidesofrarephotosandhiscarefully
researchedtextcontainingmanyCowardwitticismsdelighted
thefullhouse.Joininghimfortheeveningtoofferselectionsof
Coward'smusicwasNCSmember,popularsinger,Ms.KT
Sullivan.Pianist,Mr.DennisBuckperformedpattersongs,
whileMs.SullivangaveusawidevarietyofCoward'swaltzes
andballads.Specialhighlightswere‘MadAbouttheBoy,’‘Bar
onthePicolaMarina’and‘WorldWeary.’
Ms.Sullivanalong,withNCSmemberMr.CraigRubano
andMr.MarkNadler,canbeheardonasparklingnewCD
calledThe Night They Invented Champagne.(amazon.com)
Thisrecordingpaystributetowonderfultreasuresfromthe
worldofoperetta,whichincludesmusicbyNoëlCoward.
NCSmembersinFloridawholivenear,ormighthappento
beinNaples,onFebruary13and14thwillhaveachancetosee
MissTammyGrimesinherhighlyacclaimedcabaretact.She
willbeappearingattheDanielsCenteratthePhilharmonic
CenterfortheArts.Forticketinformationcall(800)597-1900.
ItisalwaysgratifyingtorealizethatourSocietycontinues
togrow.AfewweeksagoKenStarrettwasatthePaleyCenter
forMediaand,bycoincidence,mettwogentlemeninthe
librarywhowerewatchingNoëlCoward'sBlithe Spirit.It
turnedoutthatMr.EricSanniezandMr.FranckPelabonwere
NCSmembersfromParisandaregoodfriendsofourParis
representativeMs.HélèneCatsiapis.Whatfollowedwasa
livelydiscussionoftheirinterestinCowardandFrench
productionsofhisplays.Wearetrulybecomingan
internationalfamily.
Ken Starrett
Barbara Longford and Hélène Catsiapis
The Garrick Club
Barbara Longford and Sir Donald Sinden
Photographs taken during the Coward Birthday Celebrations in the UK at Drury
Lane and the Garrick Club - with thanks to Hélène Catsiapis, Leslie Radfiord
and Barbara Longford for providing these captured moments!
Sir Donald Sinden
Dominic Vlasto,
John Michael Swinbank
and Ruth Leon
Sir Donald Sinden and Leslie Radford
Sir Donald Sinden and Robert Gardiner
The Centenary of Dame Celia Johnson
The unveiling of a ‘Blue Plaque’ marked both the centenary and the birthplace of Dame Celia
DameCeliaJohnson,starofBrief Encounter,In Which We Serve andThis
Happy Breed, wouldhavebeen100on18thDecember2008.Hercentenary
wasmarkedbytheunveilingofaLondonblueplaquebyEnglishHeritage
onthehouseonRichmondHillwhereshewasborn.
ProfessorSirDavidCannadine,chairmanofEnglishHeritage,gavethe
introduction,theactorSimonWilliams,DameCelia’sson-in-law,spokeaboutherfrombotha
professionalandpersonlpointofview,andSirTomCourtenaygaveatributeandthenpulled
thecordunveilingtheblueplaque.
Theeventwasattendedbyfriendsandfamily,includingDameCelia’sdaughters.Lucy
Fleming(Williams)andKateGrimond.
DameCeliawasontheLondonstageformorethanfiftyyears.Oneofhermostmemorable
lastperformanceswasasJudithBlissinHay Fever.ShediedinApril1972.
CeliaJohnson'sdaughters,LucyandKate,said:“We are thrilled an English Heritage Blue
Plaque has been erected on the house where our mother was born - we are sure she would have
been delighted. She loved England and, in a way, portrayed a particular kind of English
woman on stage and television and, of course, in her films, notably ‘Brief Encounter.’ ”
withthanksto
BarryDay
sendingusthis.
Left to right: Actor Sir Tom Courtenay,
who unveiled the plaque; actor Simon
Williams (Johnson's son-in-law), who
gave a speech; Johnson's daughter Kate
Grimond; Chair of the English Heritage
Blue Plaques Panel, Professor David
Cannadine; Johnson’s daughter Lucy
Fleming.
Page 5
LUCKY ORPHAN
W
Thesummerholidaywasapproachingandthe
boyscouldeithergotoscoutcamportoa
camponLongIslandwhichwasownedbythe
Foundation.IchoseLongIslandandstayed
thereforthewholesummer,helpingasa
juniorcounsellor.Thecampwassitedonasmallestuarynear
theopensea.Theunpollutedwaterwasasclearasglassandfull
offish,helmetcrabsandeels.Oftenwewouldloadupsmall
boatswithblanketsandfoodandsetoffforasandybeach
wherewewouldsleepoutunderthestars.
Firstwewouldbuildacampfirewithdriftwoodandthen
rowouttoseaalittlewayanddiveforclams.Someoneinour
partyknewhowtomakeclamchowder-wonderful.Atcamp
wesleptinarmy-typetents,onproperbeds,butcarehadtobe
takentoavoidtwonaturalhazards:poisonivywould,if
touched,raiseveryitchyblisterswhichwouldrapidlyspreadif
scratched.Therewerealsoplentyofsnappingturtleswhose
powerfuljawscouldeasilyseverafinger.Livingnearourcamp
wasBillCerney,aretiredseamanwhowascompletelyselfcontainedinawoodenhutwhichwasfilledwithmementoes.
Hesupplementedhispensionbycatchingandsmokingeels.I
wouldoftengowithhimtoapointintheestuaryandhelphim
catchthem.Lookingoverthesideoftheboattowatchthesea
bedwrithingwithadulteelsandtothrowaspecialthreeprongedspear,catchingthreeatatime,wasarealexperience.
Whenwehadcaughtenoughitwasbacktothehutforgutting
andcleaningbeforehangingtheminahighmetaloven.The
smokefromthehickorywoodpermeatedtheeelsfor24hours
andthen,eachonestiffasapole,theywouldbepackedin
boxesandsenttoaNewYorkwholesaler.Smokedeelwith
freshbakedbreadandbutterwasthemostdeliciousfoodIhad
evertasted.
BackathighschoolfortheAutumntermItriedtorearrange
mycurriculumbutitwasdifficult...
...ThewarmSeptembereveningswerepleasant,wewould
sitonthestepstoourbuildingandwaitforthe‘GoodHumour’
icecreamvantoarrivewithhistunefulhorn.Wecouldbuya
bigicecreamonastickforadime,andwithpatienceitcould
bemadetolastforquitesometime...
...Therewas...anAmericangirllivingnearbywhowould
oftencomealongtobuyanicecreamwhensheheardthehorn.
HernamewasJane.Itooknonoticeofheratfirstthinkingshe
wasalotolderandnotreallymytype,butsomethingwas
slowlyhappeningnevertheless.
NewscamethatmybrotherwouldvisitusinearlyOctober.
ItwasmarvelloustoseehimagainandIwasdelightedthathe
hadwonhiswingsandwasnowanRAF PilotOfficer.Itwas
sheerbadluckthatCarolwasstayingwithfriendsinFlorida;
Paulwasverydisappointedathavingonlyafewdays’leavenotenoughtobeabletotraveltoseeher.Itwasalltoosoon
whenhehadtoreturntoCanada,leavingforEnglandshortly
afterthat.
Mr.Griffin,thePrincipaloftheFoundationhadheardthata
BritishWarshipwasunderrepairinBrooklynnavaldockyard
andhemadeakindlygesturetotheEnglishchildren.He
contactedtheship’scaptainwhoimmediatelyinvitedall54
orphanagekidsonboardhisship-thecruiser,Phoebe-fora
realEnglishtea.Itwasawelcometasteofhometohearthe
Englishvoicesofthecrewastheytoldtheirstories,entertaining
usandmakingusfeelwelcome.Manyyearslaterwhenwewere
Page 6
Part 5
Camp on Long Island
the story continues with edited extracts from the memories of Granville Bantock who attended the
Actor’s Orphanage at Langley Hall and Silverlands and during its evacuation to America in World War II.
Camp Gould East - Long Island 1941 - The children of the Actors’ Orphange at play on Long Island
walkingthehillsinaquitepartofDorset,mywifeandIcame
acrossasolitaryTelecomsvanandwestartedtalkingtothe
engineer.ItturnedouthewasservingonthePhoebewhenwe
werechildrenonboard,havingteain1941.Itwasanostalgic
encounterforusall.AnothertimeIrememberMr.Griffin
comingintotheplaygroundandaskingifanyonewouldliketo
rideinhisbigBuickcar-Ithinkabouttenofussqueezedinside
it.HedroveustoPelhamSoundandthere,anchoredashort
wayoff,wasalargemerchantshipflyingtheRedEnsign“I
thoughtyou’dliketoseetheflag’”hesaid.Ihadnothingbut
fondmemoriesofhim.
AyearhadpassedsincearrivingattheGouldFoundation:I
wasverydisappointedwithmyschoolworkandmycurriculum
wasamess.Ididnotknowwhattodo.ThingsatSilverlands
hadreallyseemedtobecomingtogetherformebutIwasnot
facedwiththis-Ibegantowonderaboutthewisdomof
evacuatingmeattheageoffourteenandahalf.
TheEnglishmistresswhohadtravelledwithusduringthe
evacuationhadnowreturnedhomeleavingAmericanstaffto
takeoverdutiesas‘HouseParents.’Ithink-Ihope-wewere
allwellbehavedbutwonderwhattheFoundationstaffthought
aboutusafterbeinginthechargeforayear.Theywerecertainly
surprisedthatsomanystageand
filmstarscametovisitandthey
musthavethoughttherewas
somethingspecialaboutus.Noël
CowardandDameMayWhitty
certainlyusedconsiderable
influenceinHollywoodto
persuadestarstovisitusinNew
York,especiallyaswewereway
outinTheBronx.Weenjoyedit,of
course,andItrustitwasnever
takenforgranted.
Onedayinmid-November,
Mickdidnotshowupforclass,
strangebecauseheneverusually
missedalesson.Severaldays
passedandhestilldidnotappeartheteacherassumedhewasill.The
ithappened-theJapanesebombed
PearlHarbouronthe7th
December.Mick’sparentsmight
haveguessedthatsomethingwas
inthewind,disappearingtoreturn
home,mostprobably.Germany
declaredwarontheUSAafew
dayslatersotherewasnoturning
backforAmericanow.
PresidentRooseveltspoketo
thenationandtheUnionJackand
theStarsandStripesflewsideby
side.Nolongerwerewejust
‘Limeys’butfullyfledgedallies;
thepatrioticfervourwasalmost
unbelievable.Britainwasnolonger
alone;WinstonChurchilland
FranklinRooseveltweretheclosest
offriendsanditwascertainwe
wouldwinthewar,buthowlongwouldittake?
WithMaryAnnandMickgone,highschoolbecamean
effort,andwiththenewyearcomingallwaslookingvery
gloomy.TheChristmaspresentsfrommymother,DameMay
WhittyandMargaretWebsterwereapleasantconsolation,
however,eventhoughIwasunabletocashmymother’spostal
order.Onceagain,aluckyorphanhadnotbeenforgotten.The
winterwasverycoldandthetenniscourthadbeenflooded,
anticipatingitwouldfreezeintoaskatingarena.Itdidfreeze,
butnotallover;whenskatingonedayIfailedtonoticeanice
freepatch,fallingheadlonganddoingalotofdamagetomy
rightwrist.Mywritinghasnotbeenthesamesince.Justbefore
Christmasalongletterfrommymotherarrivedtellingmethat
Paulwasundergoingspecialflyingtraining.Therewasalsosad
newsthatMrs.Kennedyhaddied.
ItwasnowNewYear1942andIwassixteen;thegirlswere
growingupquicklyaswell,MaggieandJennywereboth
seventeenbutshowinglittleinterestinme.TherewasJane,of
course,butshedidnotappearveryofteninwinter.BesidesI
wasonlymildlyinterestedinheranyway.Therewereno
concertsandverylittleclassicalmusicontheradio,itseemedas
thoughitwasallmarches,moremarchesandpatrioticsongs.
ThewarinthePacificwasgoingbadly;Singaporehadfallen
andtheJapanesearmiesweresweepingallopposition
aside.TheGermanswerehundredsofmilesintoRussia
andwhenitseemedasifthingscouldbecomenoworse,I
receivednewsthatmybrotherhadbeenkilledonspecial
flyingoperations.Ifellintoablackdepressionwhich
seemedtolastforever.HewasservingintheRoyalNavy
onboardthecruiser‘Manchester’whichhadputinto
Philadelphiaforrepairs.Hehadmadefriendswithan
AmericanfamilywhobroughthimtoNewYorktoseemearealgestureoffriendship.
Mr.Griffin,knowingIwasdepressed,askedmeifI
wouldliketospendtheEasterweekendinWashingtonDC
astheguestofColonelHenryBreckenridge.Ijumpedat
theinvitation.ColonelBreckenridgewasaveryseniorand
respectedpoliticianandaclosefriendofPresident
Roosevelt.HewaxinvolvedwiththePresident’sspecial
committeeforthecareofevacuatedEuropeanchildren,
andalsoaclosefriendofMissSmithanEnglishladywho
was‘Housemother’toourgirlsattheGouldFoundation.
Thiswasunbelievable;hecalledformeinhisbigBuick
carandthetwoofussetoutforWashington.Wejourneyed
throughNewJerseyacrossChesapeakeBayintoMaryland,
makingmanystopsforcoffeeanddoughnutsanda
sumptuousseafoodlunch.Ifeltveryfortunatetobehis
guest.Hetoldmethatweweregoingtostaytwonights
withveryoidfriendsofhis,theVances,wholivedin
Washington.
Hewouldtakemesightseeingthefollowingdayand
thentherewouldbeadinnerpartyattheVance’shomein
theevening.Wearrivedquitelateandafterintroductions
andalightsupper,Iwenttobed.Thenextdaydawned
clearandbrightandunusuallyforApril,therehadbeena
snowfallovernight.Thetwoofussetoffafterbreakfastfor
avisittoallthehistoricplaces.WashingtonwasfantastictheCapitolbuilding,theWashingtonMonument,andthe
LincolnMemorialandmanyothersightsweresnappedby
mycamera.Wewentintothecityforalightlunch
anticipatingarealfeastatthedinnerpartyintheevening.
Justafterleavingtherestaurant,whilstwalkingbacktothe
car,ColonelBreckenridgespottedsomeonewalking
towardsus,aladyhesaidIshouldmeet.Heintroducedthe
ladyasEleanorRoosevelt,thePresident’swife.Itwasto
beanincredibleday.
BackattheVance’shouse,theafternoonbeforethe
dinnerpartywasquiet.Intheeveningthepartystarted;
seatedaroundthetablewereMr&MrsVanceandtheir
twosons;therewasColonelBreckenridgeandthreesenior
politiciansandofcourse,me.Theconversationwasabout
thewarandothermattersofgraveconcern,butIwasnot
leftoutofthediscussions.Itwasagreatprivilegetobe
seatedwithsuchrespectedAmericans,andhavingspoken
toMrsRooseveltearlier,itmadeadaynottobeforgotten.
IsatnexttoMrsVancewho,towardstheendofthedinner,
askedmeifIwouldliketospendthesummerholidayona
farmnearWashington.Icouldnotsay‘yesplease’quickly
enough.TheColonelsaidhewouldmakethearrangements
withtheGouldFoundationandtakemetothefarmatthe
endofJuly.
Next time the children perform at the Imperial Theatre,
New York and Jane becomes a significant friend!
Page 7