www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk Hay Fever Home Chat is the newsletter FREE TO NCS member Jim Schneider is directing Hay Michael Feinstein of The Noël Coward Society MEMBERS OF Fever at Circle Theatre in Forest Park, For those who wholly owned by Noël Coward Ltd. which is THE SOCIETY Illinois just outside of Chicago. It is running enjoy Michael’s part of the charitable trust: Thursday through Sunday from June 25 to work - he is a The Noël Coward Foundation. August 3rd. noted singer, JUNE 2008 - THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NOËL COWARD SOCIETY Price £2 ($4) President: HRH The Duke of Kent, KG, GCMG, GCVO, ADC Circle's address is: 7300 W. Madison, Forest pianist, music Officers of the Society are: CHAT Vice Presidents: Tammy Grimes • Penelope Keith CBE • Barry Day OBE • Stephen Fry Park, IL 60130. Telephone is: 708-771- revivalist, and an Chairman: Barbara Longford 0700. interpreter of, and Secretary: Denys Robinson Oh Coward! anthropologist Treasurer: Stephen Greenman North American Director: Light Opera Oklahoma (LOOK) and archivist for TAMMYGRIMES the Great Ken Starrett LOOK’s cabaret season returns in 2008 with Representative for Australia: American Oh, Coward! Robert Wickham NEW VICE PRESIDENT ‘featuring the Songbook - you will want to know that Representative for France: he U.S. membership of The Noël Coward Society is sassy and he is appearing at The Shaw theatre in Hélène Catsiapis delighted that Tammy Grimes has accepted the smart songs of Euston Road, London from September invitation of the Committee to become an Honorary Noël Coward. 18 through September 20. Unless otherwise stated all images and text are copyright Vice President. In accepting the position she said. The Sail Away to NC Aventales AG “This will be an adventure for me. I feel very close to embodiment of Broadway veteran Penny Fuller will star All correspondence to: Noël. He was largely responsible for my success. Therefore, it elegance and in the next NCS The Editor, T gives me deep pleasure to be Vice President along with wit, Noël theatre visit to 29 Waldemar Avenue, Penelope Keith, Barry Day and Stephen Fry.” PHOTO : Milton H. Greene Coward’s Noël Coward's Hellesdon, Norwich, It all started one evening in 1959 when she was singing in a writing evokes 1961 Broadway NR6 6TB, UK small New York club called ‘Upstairs at The Downstairs’. Her jazz-age musical Sail johnknowles@noëlcoward.net unique style was particularly appealing to one member of the attitude with Away, revived at Tel: +44 (0) 1603 486 188 sensuous dances, lush melody and rapid-fire the Lilian Baylis Editors: patter.’ Theatre at “This will be an adventure for me. John Knowles and Ken Starrett Each one-of-a-kind performance of Oh Sadler's Wells as Design and Production: I feel very close to Noël. Coward! opens with a short cabaret part of the 18th John Knowles He was largely responsible presentation designed by Andrea Leap and season of Ian Publication and Distribution: members of the 2008 LOOK ensemble. Marshall Stephen Greenman (UK) for my success...” ‘Light Opera Oklahoma’.Main Street, Tulsa, Fisher's Lost Ken Starrett (US) OK Sundays: June 5, 22, 29, July 6 Musicals series. Music Correspondent: audience... Noël Coward. He had been brought by Roddy Web: www.lightoperaok.org Sail Away will Dominic Vlasto McDowall to hear her, and instantly offered Tammy Grimes a be presented for seven performances Contributions are invited from role in his next play. Very shortly she would be making her only, Sunday afternoons at 4:00 pm SAGA Offers the members of the Society. Broadway debut in the starring role of Coward's play between June 15 and July 13, with Tammy Grimes The editor reserves the right Look After Lulu. She would win a ‘Theatre World Award’ for ‘...timeless melodies additional evening performances at 7:30 to edit all copy, images and her performance. of Noël Coward...’ pm July 6 and 13. decide on inclusion of items. Born in Lynn, Massachusetts, Tammy knew early in life 1976 hit comedy California Suite, she starred in the 1980 Details included in With thanks to that she wanted to be an actress. She most likely arrived at this smash hit musical 42nd Street. Tammy Grimes’ busy and varied ‘What’s On?’ are as received, Geoffrey Houston Grand Opera decision when she dressed up in her great grandmother’s career has also included work in some 15 movies and Skinner for with our thanks, from: 'Brief Encounter' Samuel French UK and clothes which were stored in the attic. She attended Stephens performances on radio. In 1982 she hosted the final season of pointing out On An Opera in Two Acts Canada (Play Publishers and College in Columbia, Missouri, after which she came to New CBS Radio Mystery Theatre. In 2003 she was inducted into the The Lighter Side Author’s Representatives), York and studied acting at the prestigious ‘Neighborhood ‘Theater Hall of Fame’ at the Gershwin Theatre. four musical by André Previn and John Caird Houston Grand Opera presents the world Ken Starrett (US), Playhouse’. She made her first New York appearance in May Recently, she embarked on a new career appearing in a nights in Alan Brodie Representation premiere of 1955 in an off-Broadway production called Jonah and the highly acclaimed cabaret act entitled Miss Tammy Grimes. Bournemouth (Professional Productions), André Previn’s Whale. This was followed by another off-Broadway Audiences were enormously pleased with her presentation of including the NCS members and appearance in Ben Bagley's The Littlest Revue. In 1958 she songs including those by Noël Coward. The magazine, ‘Time- Brief Encounter, theatre companies. music of Noël Coward performed by Liza would appear at the Stratford Shakespearean Festival in Out New York’, voted her act one of the ten best cabaret acts of a selection of forthcoming productions with details - see www.noëlcoward.net and www.noëlcoward.com for more... based on David Hobbs and Michael Chance. For more details Canada in King Henry IV and The Winter's Tale. the season. She will be continuing her engagements of the act see: www.saga.co.uk and look for ‘Special Lean’s classic For details of rights for professional productions: Her next appearance on Broadway in 1960 was the starring later this year. Interest Holidays’. film adaptation of a play by Noël Alan Brodie Representation role in the hit musical, The Unsinkable Molly Brown for which Considering Tammy Grimes’ close friendship with Noël Coward. Brief www.alanbrodie.com she won the coveted Tony Award as Best Featured Actress in a Coward, it was especially meaningful when in December of Ivor and Noël in Concert Encounter stars For amateur productions Musical. In 1964 she would again be reunited with Noël 2003, in celebration of his birthday, she placed flowers on his Samuel French Ltd. Coward when she starred in the Broadway musical that statue in the Gershwin Theatre. This was the first time the Douglas Gordon has sent in details of this Elizabeth Futral www.samuelfrench.com or Coward directed called High Spirits. This was a musical flower-laying event was held for the Society in the U.S. gala concert at the Buxton Opera House that and Nathan Gunn as Laura and Alec, the www.samuelfrench- version of Coward's play Blithe Spirit. 1966 found her starring She has also delighted audiences with her appearances in opens the 3rd Festival of Ivor Novello and is couple torn between love and honour, london.co.uk in her own television series, The Tammy Grimes Show. In the the annual Coward Cabaret Evenings in the Oak Room at the presented by the Present Company on and Kim Josephson as Laura’s For publishing rights: 1960s she also recorded two albums for Columbia Records. Hotel Algonquin. Monday 25th August at 7:30 pm. Later in the bewildered husband; Patrick Summers Methuen Noël Coward would again be an important figure in her life Tammy Grimes has a significant presence in the Noël week Glamorous Nights is performed on conducts. Based upon the play Still Life www.methuen.co.uk when she starred with Brian Bedford in the 1969 revival of Coward story and we are happy that she is a new Vice Thursday 28th and Saturday 30 August at and the screenplay to the film Brief For music rights: Warner Chappell Private Lives. For this performance she would win her second President of the Society devoted to his memory. Ken Starrett 7:30 pm. For more details see: Encounter. WHAT’S ON? www.warnerchappell.co.uk Tony Award as Best Actress in a Play. Following Neil Simon ‘s 12 Stephen Greenman the Society’s Treasurer has a growing collection of Forthcoming UK Events Coward items including this 1936 edition of Theatre World featuring AGM • Annual Flower-Laying & Lunch at The Garrick Club Gertrude Lawrence and Noël Coward in a signature photograph. This magazine occasionally appears on the ubiquitous eBay and contains Marvellous Party - A Noël Coward House Party detailed articles on Tonight at 8:30 with an array of photographs that are Annual General Meeting, Annual Noël Coward became a member of the Garrick in October not seen elsewhere. Heralded in a special supplement as ‘The Play of the 1966. His Moment’ it is hard to underestimate the impact that this new approach to Flower-laying and Lunch portrait, by theatre received. Nine one-act plays performed three each night (there Edward were originally ten but Star Chamber was dropped) on three consecutive Brian Seago nights. In recent years there have been acclaimed revivals at the Saturday 13th December, 2008 hangs in the Chichester Festival and Antaeus Theatre Company in North Hollywood.