Coward’s outstanding gift was the ability to wed memorable tunes to deftly phrased and often satirical lyrics.
One of the most versatile talents in the history of the theatre, Noel Coward was a composer, lyricist, playwright, singer, actor, and producer. In the years between the two world wars, his plays and musical comedies gave the British stage an air of sophistication that now seems to typify the period.
Coward was born in December 1899 in Teddington, London. Although the family’s financial circumstances were modest, Noel’s parents enjoyed playing music, and they encouraged the boy’s talent for acting. By the age of 12, Noel had launched his career as a professional actor, and by 20 he was writing plays. His first, I’ll Leave It to You, was produced in 1920. Having taught himself to play piano, he also began to write songs. His revue London Calling! (1923), choreographed by his friend Fred Astaire, contained the now-famous “You Were Meant for Me.”
After two more revues, On with the Dance (1925) and This Year of Grace (1928), Coward changed pace with an operetta, Bittersweet (1929), whose songs included the haunting, wistful waltz, “I’ll See You Again.” Other well-known Coward songs are the witty “Mad Dogs and Englishmen,” and “Don’t Put Your Daughter on the Stage, Mrs. Worthington,” and the languid “Twentieth-Century Blues.” This last was written for Cavalcade (1931), a play with music reflecting 30 years of history (1899–1929) through the lives of two families, one affluent and one working-class.
Coward’s outstanding gift was the ability to wed memorable tunes to deftly phrased and often satirical lyrics.
Coward also wrote a number of non-musical plays, including such hit comedies as Hay Fever (1925), Private Lives (1930), and Blithe Spirit (1942). An early play, The Vortex (1925), shows him taking a serious look at the problem of drug addiction.
His work also included movie screenplays, including adaptations of some of his stage successes, such as the romantic drama Brief Encounter (released in 1945). His finest cinematic achievement, however, was the Oscar-winning war film In Which We Serve (1942). Coward not only wrote the script, co-directed the movie with David Lean, and composed the musical score, but also played the leading role.
After the war, Coward’s plays began to seem slightly dated, depicting a refined style of life that had largely disappeared. He increasingly turned to film acting and enjoyed considerable popularity as a nightclub entertainer. American audiences delighted in his urbane, characteristically British wit, and his success in Las Vegas was followed by three television specials for Columbia Broadcasting Service. He also explored another theatrical genre, ballet, writing the scenario and music for London Morning (1959), and The Grand Tour (1971). He died at his Jamaican home in 1973.
Eleanor Van Zandt
SEE ALSO:
FILM MUSIC; MUSICALS; OPERETTA.
FURTHER READING
Hoare, Philip. Noel Coward: A Biography (London: Mandarin, 1996);
Morella, Joseph, and George Mazzei. Genius and Lust: The Creativity and Sexuality of Cole Porter and Noel Coward (London: Robson, 1996).
SUGGESTED LISTENING
His Master’s Voice: His HMV Recordings, 1928–53;
Noel Coward at Las Vegas;
Noel Coward in New York