HOME CHAT the World of Noël Coward
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HOME CHAT The World Of Noël Coward Noël Coward and His Paintings A look at the lifetime of relaxation that Noël found in painting. Coward on Screen Our next event at the Hampton Hill Playhouse, Teddington on June 22nd. A chance to see Noël on Film and Television. Hannen Swaffer A bitter critic? Or just proved wrong by time? PHOTO: Noël Coward and ‘Joe’ at Goldenhurst,Kent. A MAGAZINE ABOUT THE LIFE AND WORK OF SIR NOËL COWARD•MAY 2014 CONTENTS EDITORIAL Editorial 2 By the time this edition of Home Chat reaches you I shall have visited Noël’s final home in Jamaica, Coward on Screen 3 ‘Firefly.’ It has always been an ambition, in the tradition I suppose of ‘train-spotters,’ to visit all of the significant Dominic Vlasto: A Recent Discovery 4 homes in Noël’s life. Whitecliffs can only be seen from the beach as it is on private land; 17, Gerald Road is a private home but Denys Robinson: Relative Values 6 was recently visited by the BBC and NCS member Dominic Vlasto for an item, in The One Show . Chalet Coward at Les Avants, Switzerland is a Paddy Briggs: Blithe Spirit 7 private home; 111, Ebury Street was visited by many NCS members some years ago when it was between conversions from The Noël Coward Hotel Oxford and Cambridge Club and 9 to its present, rather grander state, ‘The Lord Milner Hotel.’ NCS at the Café de Paris Some of us have visited the building on the East Side of New York Ken Starrett: Notes from New York 10 where Noël had a small apartment and used the penthouse (accessed via an external iron ladder) to rehearse Elaine Stritch in Sail Away - or so legend Kathy Williams: has it! Blue Harbour, Noël’s first house in Jamaica - that has since become Coward on the West Coast 11 a hotel of sorts - lies below ‘Firefly’ next to the ocean and can be viewed. So ‘Firefly’ is the only home that remains truly open to the public. The Palm Beach Noël Coward Festival 13 tropical weather has not been kind to ‘Firefly’ and decisions about its future are difficult to make for a variety of reasons. But it exists. Hence my The Idol of the Bright Young Things 15 ambition to see this hideaway from the world where Noël read, wrote, thought and viewed the Spanish Main - before either I or it pass into the Noël Coward the Painter 17 beyond! You can read about Shirley Anne Fields visit to Noël’s home in this Noël Coward’s Jamaica 20 edition of Home Chat and view some of Noël’s paintings of his chosen isle. Meanwhile in the UK the Noël Coward Room is being established with a A Talent to Amuse, Act and Sing 22 wealth of resources for students of The Master. Revivals of Coward productions hitting the UK are legion with Blithe Spirit , Relative Values , A Celebration - Richard Briers 24 Fallen Angels , Tonight at 8.30 , and a rare outing for Ace of Clubs. In the US, Hay Fever , 2 revivals of A Song at Twilight , The Vortex on the West Coast, the recent Noël Coward Festival at Palm Beach, the continuing tour MEMBERSHIP of Kneehigh’s Brief Encounter , and Private Lives in Washington. In New York, Nude With Violin (Ed: a personal favourite! ), A Coward Cornucopia If any of the information you provide us with changes, and a Marvelous Party with Noël and Cole. e.g. address, telephone numbers or email, please It has been said that every minute of the day there is a Coward play inform me immediately. Recently a number of the being performed somewhere in the world - can we doubt it! There is Home Chat magazines have been returned “address certainly not a day passes without his music, lyrics and quotations are not unknown”. We are trying to keep all postage cost given air some where on the planet. down so as not to have to raise the annual NCS members have already been asking about the date of the Coward subscription, so please help us by always keeping us Birthday celebrations this year and indeed the venue. Well Peter Tod is up to date with any changes. working on some minor surprises for this event that will be revealed very Stephen Duckham - Membership Secretary soon. In the meantime we have a summer event, Coward on Screen at the [email protected] Hampton Hill Playhouse on the afternoon of Sunday, June 22. The afternoon will show a variety of Noël’s appearances on television that have not been seen by members in the UK before including some recent finds by Dominic Vlasto that show Coward performing as never before. The Fallen Angels afternoon includes light refreshments with the opportunity for a pub lunch beforehand. Stephen Duckham is organising the event - details included in Our hard-working Theatre and Media Officer this edition. Michael Wheatley-Ward manages the Memorial Finally two celebrations of a slightly different nature. Congratulations Theatre at ‘Broadstairs and is featuring Fallen Angels’ to Dame Angela Lansbury for receiving a DBE. A well- deserved award for as one of his Summer Rep. Productions. The 7th a lifetime of superlative acting - from Madame Arcarti to Dame Arcati! Annual Summer Repertory Season at the Memorial Lastly Stephen Greenman and I were invited to attend a celebration of Theatre, Broadstairs features Coward classic comedy the life of Richard Briers at The Criterion Theatre in London. This was a an Fallen Angels . The play is directed by Michael Friend occasion full of laughter and tears as we shared the best theatre, film and and is playing on the following dates: television moments of this wonderful actor and human being with tributes from Kenneth Branagh, Dame Penelope Keith, Peter Egan, Sheila Weds 6th,Thurs 7th & Fri 8th August at 7.30pm, Hancock, Peter Bowles and the music from the film of Midsummer Night’s Sat 9th August at 2.30pm & 7.30pm. Dream played and composed by Patrick Doyle. The most poignant moments were when his daughters and grandchildren spoke about the man Members of the Society are offered a special price of they loved. As his grandchildren said about his natural warmth and sense of £11 - providing you book in advance. This is £4 off the fun, “ When we went to see Grandad it felt like we were the grown-ups and top price! he was the child. ” Can there be a finer accolade? Members should contact Michael in the first instance John Knowles at: [email protected] 2 COWARD ON SCREEN Noël Coward on Film and Television Sunday 22nd June Hampton Hill Playhouse, Teddington 90 High Street, Hampton Hill, Middlesex TW12 1NY. An afternoon of cinematic and televisual delights await you at the Hampton Hill Playhouse when John Knowles offers a kaleidoscope of video extracts featuring Noël and his works provided by Barry Day, Ken Starrett and John’s own collection. The afternoon will run from 2.00pm until 5.00pm and will include at tea and cakes. If you wish to have lunch before the event we are able to oon ftern ... arrange this for 12.00 Noon at the Bloated Mallard just across the road en a udes from the theatre. Scre incl on use ard yho Cow l Pla Tickets for the event are £10 per person. Lunch, if required, is £10.95 The Hil for a main course with optional starters and desserts. (Lunch to be paid pton ing Ham rit ts for individually on the day.) S W ul n C es titio N R pe be If you would like to book for the event, please send a cheque made he n com ill T io ting er w payable to ‘The Noël Coward Society’ together with your Name, tit wri inn e the he w ll p for nd t Hi be Address and contact telephone number to: m ons s a ton ill Co issi ator amp er w rk bm dic e H inn wo e su adju t th e w heir l th the nt a . Th nt t Stephen Duckham, 47 Compass Court Al ith eve une rese w w this 2 J d p Norfolk Street, Coventry, CV1 3LJ no at ay 2 e an are ced und priz oun n S eir ann se o e th hou ceiv . Please state whether you would like a lunch reservation. Play o re oon ed t tern nvit e af i g th There is a limited amount of places for this event, so please get your urin d applications in as soon as possible. Together With Music Everyone attending this event will receive a complimentary DVD of the full 90 minute show, Together With Music, starring Noël Coward and Mary Martin. Parts of this show are the closest thing we have to a visual recording of his cabaret show at the Desert Inn, Las Vegas. It marks the renewal of the relationship between the two stars after a difficult period following the lack of success of Pacific 1860 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1946. Among the items being screened in Part One of the afternoon are: • Noël on What’s My Line? • ‘Mad Dogs and Englishmen’ compilation including Terry Thomas, Lena Horne, Judy Garland, Carol Channing, John Gielgud and The Muppets. • And extracts from: • Noël on the Ed Sullivan Show , and the Dick Cavett Show . • Noël Coward and Mary Martin in Together With Music • Coward’s works in TV commercials. In Part Two we will see: • Extracts from: Noël in the CBS TV adaptations of This Happy Breed and Blithe Spirit • Dominic Vlasto introduces a series of video clips that show us for the first time ..