Noël Coward

Noël Coward (Sir Noel Peirce Coward 1899-1973)[1] was a renowned and multi-talented British playwright, composer, performer, producer and theatre personality especially celebrated for his caustic wit.

Biography

There have been many and comprehensive biographies of Coward over the years.

See for example the entry on "Noël Coward" in Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No%C3%ABl_Coward

Contribution to South African theatre, film, media and performance

His plays were hugely popular in South Africa as elsewhere, notably Blithe Spirit, which had numerous productions over the years, also in Afrikaans as Die Vryerige Spook (“The Amorous Ghost”).

Coward visited South Africa in 1944 at the behest of "Ouma" Smuts, the wife of the Prime Minister J.C. Smuts, as part of her war effort charities. Coward arrived in Pretoria in early February 1944 and immediately started doing shows for the Union Defence Force Entertainment Unit. On 17 February, he went down to Cape Town for his opening night – attended by Jan Smuts, his cabinet and other luminaries – and toured the country, rounding his tour off with two performances at the Empire Theatre in Johannesburg on 17 and 18 April. He then left for Bulawayo at the end of April.

His play Blithe Spirit opened at the Opera House in Pretoria on 7 July of the same year and moved from there to the Standard Theatre in Johannesburg, before going on a countrywide tour. There is a a belief that he actually saw the play in Johannesburg, but this given the time-line Coward could not have been in Johannesburg during the run and would also not have been there during rehearsal period. Anthony Akerman has suggested that either during rehearsals or in a performance. However, In a letter to The Star (and quoted in Arnold Benjamin's book Lost Johannesburg), Coward claimed to have seen a play in the Standard Theatre, but given the time-line Coward could not have been in Johannesburg during the run and would also not have been there during rehearsal. He did, of course, discuss the play with Gwen and Marda. Coward claimed to have seen a play in the Standard Theatre because his letter to the Star is quoted in Arnold Benjamin's book Lost Johannesburg. That may have reinforced the belief that he saw his own play, but if he did see a play at the Standard, it may have been Sheridan's The Rivals presented by the REPS from 19 April. This misconception was probably also reinforced by an obituary for Gwen ffrangçon-Davies on BBC radio presented by John Tydeman.

Performed on a few occasions, and attended a production of Blithe Spirit by the Gwen ffrangçon-Davies / Marda Vanne Company in that year.

His Red Peppers was the curtain-raiser at the Reps performance of Androcles and the Lion at the Alexander Theatre in 1969. His Present Laughter, directed by Charles Hickman, was the final production for the Reps at the Alexander, in 1969. It starred Margaret Inglis, Bernard Brown, Jenny Gratus and Gordon Mulholland. Toerien-Rubin Company staged his Fallen Angels at the Alexander Theatre circa 1970. Pieter Toerien presented a compilation of his material Cowardy Custard starring Moira Lister, David Kernan and Graham Armitage and directed by Freddie Carpenter at the Civic Theatre in 1973. John Hussey directed his Hay Fever with Shelagh Holliday and Hussey himself, for PACT in 1974. Professor Rosalie van der Gucht directed his Blithe Spirit for PACT in 1977. PACT staged a revival of his Present Laughter, directed by John Hussey and starring Hussey, Shelagh Holliday and Erica Rogers in 1979. Pieter Toerien presented his Oh Coward, directed by Freddie Carpenter with [[Richard Loring

A broadcast of his one-act play Still Life (1936) - apparently called Brief Encounter after the 1945 film based on the play - was broadcast by the SABC in Castle Playhouse on 27 April 1966, starring Marlene Dietrich as "Laura".

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No%C3%ABl_Coward

Tucker, 1997.

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