WHAT’S ON? ACROSS THE GLOBE (Professional companies in red amateur in black) America & Canada JANUARY Blithe Spirit: 3 to 5 Mar 2004 Crofton House School, Vancouver, BC 2003 20 to 30 Dec University Players, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON Mar to Apr 2004 Denver Center, Denver, CO 26 to 30 Apr 2004 Mississauga, Ontario Hay Fever 20 Nov to 13 Dec Grand Prairie Live Theatre, Grand Prairie, Alberta 24 Feb to 6 Mar Powerhouse Theatre, Vernon, BC Come Into the Garden Maud Oct 9, Nov 3, & Dec 8. Food for Thought Productions, National Arts Club, NYC Tel: (212) 362-2560 IN THIS ISSUE Design For Living 5 to 13 Feb 2004 Amicus Productions Toronto, Ontario Page 1 - Annual Lunch - Fallen Angels 18 to 31 Jan 2004 Bramalea Live Theatre, Brampton, Ontario PRIVATE LIVES - Steve Ross Present Laughter 2 to 26 Jun 2004 Raymond Burr Performing Arts Theatre, New Westminister, BC Page 2 Page 3 Private Lives Feb 2004 Tribal Productions Inc. Thornhill, Ontario Page 4 20 to 30 Dec University of Windsor, School of Drama and Arts, Windsor, ON Page 5 May of 2004 Enid, Oklahoma's Gaslight Theatre - our website gives exact dates. PUBLIC INTEREST Page 6 Jan to Feb, 2004 Lyric Stage, Boston, Mass. It’s shaping up to be a busy 2004 in the Current and future professional Page 7 Apr to May, 2004 Irish Classical Theatre. Buffalo, NY UK for Coward with the relaxing of rights productions can be seen at: Page 8 Australasia on PRIVATE LIVES and BLITHE SPIRIT PRIVATE LIVES Page 9 Page 10 at the moment there is a professional Theatre Royal, York Blithe Spirit 15 Nov to 20 Dec Melbourne Theatre Co Victoria then national tour 2003 (Press Night 19 Nov) Page 11 Committee 2003 30 Oct to 1 Nov Tropic Line Theatre Queensland, Australia + small tour Coward production on every month from Current- 8/11 Page 12 - WHAT’S ON? 15 Nov (PN 19 Nov) to 20Dec & 21 Jan to 20 Mar 2004 Melbourne Theatre Co, Victoria then January - August (and probably be- PRIVATE LIVES Sydney Theatre Co yond). It cannot be too strongan Citizens Theatre, Glasgow United Kingdom assumption that this is largely due to the Current- 15/11 Present Laughter 16 to 19 June 2004 The Hampton Hill Playhouse, Hamp[ton Hill, Mddx. internationally PRIVATE LIVES Fumed Oak 13 &14 Dec Phoenix Players, Village Hall, Abertin, Glamorgan successful Eye Theatre, Suffolk STEPHEN FRY & Hay Fever 12 to 17 Jan 2004 Nottingham Arts Theatre, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire Howard Davies 24/1/04- 7/2/04 27 to 28 May 2004St. Mark’s Church Hall, Reigate, Surrey directed revival PRIVATE LIVES 7 to 14 Dec Horsell ADS Rhoda McGraw Theatre, Woking, Surrey that dominated Northcott Theatre, Exeter SIR JOHN MILLS 2004 (TBC) West Yorkshire Playhouse, The Quarry the stages of 5/2/04- 28/2/04 Judy Campbell & Moira Lister 30 Apr to 15 May 2004 Haymarket Theatre, Basingstoke the West End PRIVATE LIVES Are amongst the celebrity guests at the 2004 West Yorkshire Playhouse, The Quarry and Broadway Derby Playhouse Noel Coward Society - Steve Ross so success- 6/3/04- 3/4/04 Cabaret Evening at Pizza On The Park on Blithe Spirit 21 to 24th Apr 2004 Oswaldtwistle Players at Civic Theatre, Union Rd, Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire fully last year. BLITHE SPIRIT 31st January. The 7.30pm £4.50 - Wednesday and £6.00 (£5.00 concessions) - Thursday, Friday, Saturday 01254 387851 Great to see REC Theatre Company, Buxton Cabaret supremo has 4 to 6 Dec Middle Barton DG, The Alice Marshall Hall, Middle Barton, Oxfordshire that a modern 11/3/04- 21/3/04 invited Judy Campbell 29 to 31 Jan 2004 Betchworth O & DS Village Hall, Bewtchworth Surrey interpretation BLITHE SPIRIT and Dominic Vlasto to 22 to 24 Apr 2004 Rhiwbina ATS Memorial Hall Rhiwbina Cardiff of Coward’s classic piece can succeed in Ian Dickens ProductionsBlackpool/ add their talents to his 8 Jun to 4 Aug 2004 Ian Dickens Productions - Balckpool /Darlington /Swansea (TBC) raising both audiences and interest Darlington/Swansea own programme of 11 to 21 Mar 2004 REC Theatre Company, Buxton amongst professional and amateur 8/6/04- 21/8/04 (tbc) Noel Coward songs in 8 Jun to 21 Aug 2004 (TBC) Ian Dickens Productions Blackpool/Darlington/Swansea companies. Blithe Spirit has always been PRIVATE LIVES an evening paked with the Coward comedy of choice for most Dublin GateIrish tour nearly a 100 members Private Lives 24 Jan to 7 Feb 2004 Eye Theatre, Suffolk amateur companies - at some time in their July 2004 (tbc) and guests. An evening of Coward 5 to 28 Apr 2004 Northcott Theatre, Exeter seasonal repertoires - a joy to see BLITHE SPIRIT music, an odd recollection and guest 6 Mar t0 3 Apr 2004 Derby Playhouse growing interest for both amongst Tropic Line TheatreQueensland, appearances should make this a night to July 2004 (TBC) Dublin Gate - Irish tour professional companies during this 30th Australia + small tour remember. If anyone would like that last 3 to 5th Dec 7:30pm Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham £7.50 / £6 (concs) 0121 440 383 anniversary year of his death. Long may 30/10- 1/11 ticket or two then please get in touch 18 to 22 May 2004 Quince Players, The Cordes Hall, Sunninghill, Ascot, Berkshire we see and hear the best of the Master’s BLITHE SPIRIT with Barbara Longford whose organisa- 24 Jan to 7 Feb 2004 Eye Theatre, Suffolk comedies and dramas proving time and Melbourne Theatre CoVictoriaThen tional flair has provided a great way to 6 Mar to 3 Apr 2004 Derby Playhouse again to be as relevant today as when Sydney Theatre Co start 2004. they were first written. 15/11 (pn 19/11)- 20/1221/1-20/3/04 Relative Values 2 to 11 Jul 2004 Hever Lakeside Theatre, Kent The Marquise 14 Jan to mid May 2004 Bill Kenwright Ltd - UK Tour, opens Windsor FLOWERS FOR THE MASTER AUCTION REGISTRATION Star Quality 9 to 14 Feb 2004 The Talisman Theatre, Kenilworth, Warwickshire The 7th and 13th December see two celebrations of Coward’s birth at The Gersh- For those who are coming along to the win in New York and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. By the time this edition Auction of Coward books at The Savoy (* denotes Premiere, TBC = To be confirmed) reaches members we will have passed the former date and be just in time for the on 13th December at 2.30 pm you can latter. Nearly 40 members will be attending the AGM in London and joining our register at the sale and take part in the The contact details for items to be included here or in Home Chat please contact: guests Eleanor Bron and Malcolm Sinclair at Drury Lane and at The Savoy for our bidding. There will be an opportunity to The Noël Coward Society, 29, Waldemar Avenue, Hellesdon, Norwich, NR6 6TB Annual Lunch. The Auction of Coward books that follows should provide an look at the books sfrom about 2.00 Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)1603 486188 Fax: +44 (0)1603 400683 opportunity to grab an interesting Christmas present or two. pm onwards. Page 12 administrative charges of payment by cheque. RG raised the issue of PR and promoting the society to encourage new member- NEWS AND VIEWS ... NEWS AND VIEWS ...NEWS AND VIEWS ship - felt we should capitalise on such events as Elaine Stritch laying flowers. Other suggestions for profile raising and Barry Day writes... From the New York Times ... membership encouragement included: listings in local libraries, word of mouth, an annual dinner (Garrick Club mentioned), events based around local amateur or professional productions in regional areas and a London-based conference like that That COWARD ON FILM is at the previously held in Birmingham. The question of the archive was raised and the situation clarified by JK/MI: the main archive is proof read stage and has 192 pages. It Reminders That Manhattan Is Still an Isle of Joy still in Switzerland with Graham and will not be passed onto to Birmingham until after Graham’s death, Birmingham has a little will sell somewhere arounf £20 in the material but they are actively buying any good Coward material that comes on the market. UK and $30 in the US. This book will be By STEPHEN HOLDEN They will not begin full cataloguing until they have the full archive. available exclusively to Society mem- Published: October 22, 2003 FUTURE EVENTS bers and is viewed by many as the RG reported on his research into the Portmeirion weekend, the general response was positive and people felt that members book that had to be written to provide a Steve Ross’s airy new cabaret show, “My Manhattan,” is the musical equivalent of needed to have plenty of notice for such as event. Other suggestions for future events included: talks given by any of the fuller and more rounded view of an elegant photography exhibition that contemplates roughly a century of New actresses who worked with Coward, a musical cabaret event-possible at Pizza on the Park with Nick Ross to play- Barbara Coward’s work. If you think you would York life (mostly upscale) and encompasses material from Broadway’s toddler Longford agreed to follow this up. Gareth Pike observed that we had not really done much in the way of music-based events be interested in purchasing a copy years (Victor Herbert’s “Streets of New York”) through Stephen Sondheim or film events. JK mentioned the lunch/dinner at the Ivy Restaurant in March at which Lorna Dallas and Jason Carr will be please write to: The Noel Coward (“Another Hundred People”).