WHAT’S ON? ACROSS THE GLOBE ... America & Canada Hay Fever 24 Jun to 31 Aug Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, Utah, USA. More info: www.bard.org. AUGUST 31 Jul to 24 Nov The Shaw Festival Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario Canada 2002 www.shawfest.sympatico.ca Directed by Christopher Newton Blithe Spirit 16 Jul to 4 Aug Bay Street Theatre’s Cast includes: Twiggy, Dana Ivey, Patricia Kalember, Angela Thornton, Herb Foster, Daniel Gerroll & Kerrie Blaisdell. THE BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE NOEL COWARD SOCIETY Bay Street Theatre, Sag Harbor, NY 1 to 2 Nov Daysland Little Theatre Company, PO Box 325, Daysland Alberta, T0B 1A0 18 Oct to 2 Nov Binbrook little Theatre inc. PO Box 74, Binbrook Ontario, L0R 1C0 20 Sep to 4 Oct Burlington Little Theatre, 7770, Drury Lane, Burlington, Ontario L7R 2Y2 The Backroom Girl 24 Oct to 9 Nov North Vancouver Community Players, North Vancouver, BC Private Lives to Sep 1st Broadway, with Lindsay Duncan and Alan Rickman Joan Hirst 1914 - 2002 5 to 21 Sep Domino theatre, Kingston, Ontario. Waiting In The Wings 16 Sep to 5 Oct Ottawa Little Theatre, King Edward Avenue, Ottawa, ON Joan Hirst was one of the last remaining currently running a cinema. Theatre was professional musician. In what her son, 2 to 19 Oct Nanaimo Theatre Group, Nanaimo, BC links with a now-vanished theatrical in the family blood: her grandfather Robin, would called ‘the bohemian set 15 to 19 Oct Saskatoon Gateway Players, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan world. As secretary to both Noël Coward (who instigated the Vaudeville Theatre of Dewsbury during the 1930s - if you Europe and Michael Redgrave, she was a self- in London) and her great-grandfather can believe such a thing’ - Franklin and A Song At Twilight Sep 2002 Theatre du Palais Royal Paris, Starring Line Renaud declared ‘backroom girl’, who prided were both theatrical managers, and Joan lived together as man and wife, herself on her tact and discretion. both took the stage name ‘David James’ without the usual ceremonies to Australasia Joan came to work for Coward legitimate the union. Robin, their Design For Living Nov - Dec State Theatre Co of South Australia, Adelaide in 1949, initially as a part-time only child, was born in 1937. Blithe Spirit 28 to 31 Aug Tropic Line TheatreTownsville, Queensland, Australia secretary, typing up his diary. Sparks, who was 21 years Joan’s We Were Dancing/ She was adjudged amenable senior, had already been married, Shadow Play/Red peppers 2003 (TBC) Queensland Theatre Co. Optus Playhouse, Brisbane enough to join ‘the Family’, it transpired, with another child (a Coward’s circle of friends and daughter, Helen), but was The Rest of the World employees: Graham Payn, his separated from his wife. Private Lives Current Pieter Toerien Productions, Cape Town, Grahamstown, Jo’burg, South Africa companion; Cole Lesley, his During the Second World War 26 Sep to 26 Oct King & Taylor, Durban, South Africa personal assistant; Lorn Loraine, Sparks’ life as ‘an itinerant his secretary; and friends such as musician’ - a ‘very proficient United Kingdom Joyce Carey, the actress, and pianist’, he had won an award at Elaine Stritch At Liberty 1 Oct 2002 to 25 Jan 2003 The Old Vic Theatre, London. Gladys Calthrop, his designer. an Eisteddfod in the 1920s, and Love In A Maze 5 Jun to 27 Jul (Dion Boucicault) at the Watermill Newbury. Coward music provides the score Together these constituted a had one of his compositions Hay Fever 2003 New West End production starring Penelope Wilton directed by Laurence cohesive force, as though set played by the then Dr. Malcolm Boswell. against the world - a scenario Sargent - performed for ENSA. Present Laughter 14 to 17 Oct Gawsworth Hall, Cheshire very much portrayed in His family, meanwhile, were 21 to 28 Sep Whitefield Garrick Society, Whitefield, Manchester starring NCS member Coward’s play, Present Laughter. officially ‘of no fixed abode’, Andrew Close as Gary Essendine As the new girl, Joan Hirst - or living with friends and relatives Brief Encounter See dates Noël Coward / Andrew Taylor - Middle Ground Theatre Co UK Tour Joan Sparks, as she was then - (including Joan’s sister, Pat). 4 to 7 Sep Southport Arts might have been regarded as In Norwich during the 1940s, 17 to 21 Sep Buxton Opera rather in awe of the situation. Joan worked for the Gas Board, 24 to 28 Sep Sheffield Lyceum Certainly, Lorn Loraine and subsequently moved to 1 to 5 Oct Swansea Grand became her role model, albeit a Blackpool, then back to London, The Vortex 22 to 23 Nov Queen Mother Theatre, Hitchin, Hertfordshire rather bohemian one given to during which period she and Design for Living 19 Oct Theatre Royal Bath Productions UK Tour (6-8 weeks) colourful language and forthright Joan Hirst at the Alexander House NCS event in 2001 Franklin Sparks separated, fairly 26 Jun to 10 Aug The Royal Exchange theatre, Manchester Director Marianne Elliott and opinions. Perhaps a result of this, and of (Joan delighted in the fact that a amicably (Sparks went on to remarry, Lez Brotherston, director and designer respectively of the Exchange’s her position in the ‘pecking order’, Hirst Victorian playbill displayed at the sire another child, and end his days productions of NUDE WITH VIOLIN and A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE herself was a much more guarded figure. Cadogan Hotel listed one of her playing on the bandstand in Worthing). are reunited for a brand new production of Coward’s provocative story of As Duncan Knowles, who would work grandfather’s productions; the renowned After the war, Joan was employed as a celebrity status and the nature of fidelity. Booking is now open and the show for ‘Auntie Joan’ in later years, recalls, American playwright, David Belasco, secretary at the ‘imposing redbrick’ runs until 10 August. Special ticket offer - £5 off the top three ticket prices on ‘She was a fantastic critic, but she was a distant cousin). Her parents also Rutland Gate offices of the Actors performances on Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesdays (subject to availability.) To always wanted to know what you took the surname of James for their Orphanage office, but by 1949, had been book, simply call the Box Office on 0 161 833 9833 and quote thought first, because she didn’t want to stage appearances in vaudeville. invited to work part-time for Lorn ‘GG OFFER’. Box Office 0161 833 9833 offend anyone.’ Yet for all the theatrical As a result of her parents’ calling, Joan’s Loraine, Noël Coward’s secretary, at the The World of Ivor Novello 20 Sep 8.00 pm Serendipity presents at The Radlett Centre, Aldenham Avenue, Radlett, Herts colour of her employment, Joan Hirst’s was a peripatetic early life. She and her playwright’s mews home and office in Films early years were just as remarkable, and younger sister Patricia were initially Gerald Road, Belgravia. At the same Blithe Spirit Remake. Producers British Lion/Hollywood Pictures for Universal in retrospect - for few knew the details educated in Londonderry, but the family time, she also became secretary to Quadrille Producer Vanguard/Monogram/Skyline of her own biography - were more than a subsequently moved to England, settling Michael Redgrave, and moved to (* denotes Premiere, TBC = To be confirmed) preparation for her life with her adoptive in various places in Yorkshire. In Chiswick to be near Redgrave, who Please ensure that your production is operating under copyright. All copyright enquiries for professional productions should be ‘Family’. Dewsbury, at a ‘musical soiree’, a lived there. She would spend the made to: Alan Brodie Representation, 211 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9HF United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7917 2871 Fax: +44 She was born on 18 March 1914 in violinist called Geoffrey Hirst mornings working for him, then travel (0) 20 7917 2872. All correspondence on the Noël Coward Society should be sent to: The Noël Coward Society, 29, Waldemar Londonderry, where her parents, Gerald introduced her to Franklin Baverstock up to London in the afternoon to Avenue, Hellesdon, Norwich, NR6 6TB Email: membership@Noëlcoward.net Tel: +44 (0)1603 486188 Fax: +44 (0)1603 400683 and Doris Belasco, were actor managers Sparks, another accomplished undertake her duties for Noël Coward Page 20 MASTERPIECES - report on the Society Event inside ... Ltd. This arrangement - which had party to something approaching a farce would say; or, ‘Here we are, doing our Continued from page 18 If today’s preference for American would cease as diners watched him echoes of Coward’s own ‘brief in the subsequent arrangements. Having doggy best’. She was a fixture at playwright-composer to specifically musicals is due to the tunes, then why take his seat and it was on the strength encounter’ with Redgrave during the taken the call at two am., she told Coward first nights, ‘always address and attack the Nazi treatment not bother to research Novello’s of his appearance at the Savoy Grill Second World War - ended when Coward’s accountant, Leslie Smith, that immaculately coiffured and dressed’, as of the Jews, and to use the issue as the shows? King’s Rhapsody took a record that D W Griffith cast him, as the lead Redgrave’s career ‘moved on and he no she was making arrangements to her son recalls, unfazed whether the engine that powered a contemporary advance box office in 1949, as though in The White Rose (1923). company musical, was Novello, in The Dancing Oklahoma!, with its supposedly earth- Women have long known that great included pop Years (1939). shattering impact on West End beauties are never taken seriously, and stars or lowly His previous shows (Glamorous Night, fashion, had never happened.