A prolific playwright and successful actor and director, Noël Coward had a significant impact on culture in the English-speaking world. ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' magazine said that he had a unique "sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise". Coward wrote over 50 published plays and many albums of original songs, in addition to musical theatre (including the operetta '' Bitter Sweet''), comic

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

s, poetry, short stories, a novel and three volumes of autobiography. Books of his song lyrics, diaries and letters also have been published. Some of his plays, such as '' Hay Fever'', ''

Private Lives ''Private Lives'' is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It concerns a divorced couple who, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover that they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetu ...

'', ''

Design for Living ''Design for Living'' is a comedy play written by Noël Coward in 1932. It concerns a trio of artistic characters, Gilda, Otto and Leo, and their complicated three-way relationship. Originally written to star Lynn Fontanne, Alfred Lunt and Cowa ...

'', ''

Present Laughter ''Present Laughter'' is a comic play written by Noël Coward in 1939 but not produced until 1942 because the Second World War began while it was in rehearsal, and the British theatres closed. The title is drawn from a song in Shakespeare's ''T ...

'' and '' Blithe Spirit'', have entered the regular theatre repertoire. His stage and film acting and directing career spanned six decades, and his cabaret performances were very popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Coward won an Academy Honorary Award in 1943 for his naval film drama '' In Which We Serve''. Many of Coward's plays were adapted for film. Coward was knighted in 1969 and was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature."Noël Coward"
''Contemporary Authors Online'', Thomson Gale, 2004, accessed 30 December 2008 A statue of Coward was unveiled by the Queen Mother in the foyer of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1998. The

Noël Coward Theatre The Noël Coward Theatre, formerly known as the Albery Theatre, is a West End theatre in St. Martin's Lane in the City of Westminster, London. It opened on 12 March 1903 as the New Theatre and was built by Sir Charles Wyndham behind Wyndham's ...

in St Martin's Lane, originally called the New Theatre, was renamed in his honour in 2006.

Critical reputation and legacy

The playwright John Osborne said, "Mr Coward is his own invention and contribution to this century. Anyone who cannot see that should keep well away from the theatre." Kenneth Tynan wrote in 1964, "Even the youngest of us will know, in fifty years' time, exactly what we mean by 'a very Noel Coward sort of person'."Tynan, pp. 286–88 ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' said of him, "None of the great figures of the English theatre has been more versatile than he," and the paper ranked his plays in "the classical tradition of Congreve, Sheridan,

Wilde Wilde is a surname. Notable people with the name include: In arts and entertainment In film, television, and theatre * '' Wilde'' a 1997 biographical film about Oscar Wilde * Andrew Wilde (actor), English actor * Barbie Wilde (born 1960), Canad ...

and Shaw".''The Times'', 27 March 1973, p. 18 In praise of his versatility, another admirer said, "There are probably greater painters than Noël, greater novelists than Noël, greater librettists, greater composers of music, greater singers, greater dancers, greater comedians, greater tragedians, greater stage producers, greater film directors, greater cabaret artists, greater TV stars. If there are, they are fourteen different people. Only one man combined all fourteen different labels – The Master." A symposium published in 1999 marked the centenary of Coward's birth and listed some major productions of Coward shows scheduled for the year in Britain and North America, including ''Ace of Clubs, After the Ball, Blithe Spirit, Cavalcade, Easy Virtue, Hay Fever, Present Laughter, Private Lives, Sail Away, Song at Twilight, The Young Idea'' and ''Waiting in the Wings'', with stars including Lauren Bacall,

Wendy Craig Anne Gwendolyn "Wendy" Craig (born 20 June 1934) is an English actress who is best known for her appearances in the sitcoms ''Not in Front of the Children'', '' ...And Mother Makes Three'', '' ...And Mother Makes Five'' and ''Butterflies''. ...

Fenella Fielding Fenella Fielding, OBE (born Fenella Marion Feldman; 17 November 1927 – 11 September 2018) was an English stage, film and television actress who rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s, and was often referred to as "England's first lad ...

Derek Griffiths Derek Griffiths (born 15 July 1946) is a British actor, singer, and voice artist who appeared in numerous British children's television series in the 1960s to present and has more recently played parts in television drama. Career Griffiths was ...

Rosemary Harris Rosemary Ann Harris (born 19 September 1927) is an English actress. She is the recipient of such accolades as a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. In ...

Michael Jayston Michael James (born 29 October 1935), known professionally as Michael Jayston, is an English actor. He played Nicholas II of Russia in the film ''Nicholas and Alexandra'' (1971). He has also made many television appearances, which have include ...

Penelope Keith Dame Penelope Anne Constance Keith, (née Hatfield; born 2 April 1940) is an English actress and presenter, active in film, radio, stage and television and primarily known for her roles in the British sitcoms '' The Good Life'' and '' To the M ...

Anton Lesser Anton Lesser (born 14 February 1952) is an English actor. He is well known for his roles as Qyburn in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'', as Thomas More in ''Wolf Hall'', as Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in ''The Crown'', as Prime Minister ...

Geraldine McEwan Geraldine McEwan (born Geraldine McKeown; 9 May 1932 – 30 January 2015) was an English actress, who had a long career in film, theatre and television. Michael Coveney described her, in a tribute article, as "a great comic stylist, with ...

, Ian McKellen, Marie McLaughlin,

Corin Redgrave Corin William Redgrave (16 July 19396 April 2010) was an English actor and left-wing socialist activist. Early life Redgrave was born on 16 July 1939 in Marylebone, London, the only son and middle child of actors Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kem ...

Greta Scacchi Greta Scacchi, OMRI (; born 18 February 1960) is an Italian-Australian actress. She holds dual Italian and Australian citizenship. She is best known for her roles in the films '' White Mischief'' (1987), '' Presumed Innocent'' (1990), '' The Pl ...

Juliet Stevenson Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, (born 30 October 1956) is an English actor of stage and screen. She is known for her role in the film ''Truly, Madly, Deeply'' (1991), for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leadi ...

and

Elaine Stritch Elaine Stritch (February 2, 1925 – July 17, 2014) was an American actress, best known for her work on Broadway and later, television. She made her professional stage debut in 1944 and appeared in numerous stage plays, musicals, feature films a ...

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ...

said of Coward's songs: "The wit and wisdom of Noël Coward's lyrics will be as lively and contemporary in 100 years' time as they are today,"Kenrick, John.
"Noel Coward 101: Cowardy Quotations"
Musicals101.com, The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film, accessed 8 February 2009 and many have been recorded by

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

, Sting, Elton John,

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

, Pet Shop Boys,

The Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature an ...

Vic Reeves James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), better known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, artist, surrealist, musician, actor and television presenter, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mort ...

Ian Bostridge Ian Charles Bostridge CBE (born 25 December 1964) is an English tenor, well known for his performances as an opera and lieder singer. Early life and education Bostridge was born in London, the son of Leslie Bostridge and Lillian (née Clark). ...

, Damon Albarn, Michael Nyman, and others.Hoare, Philip
"Coward, Sir Noël Peirce (1899–1973)"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edn, January 2008, accessed 30 December 2008

Parodies and popular culture

Depictions

Coward is depicted in several plays. He was played by Guy Henry in the

Afternoon Play ''Drama'' (formerly ''Afternoon Theatre'', ''Afternoon Drama,'' ''Afternoon Play'') is a BBC Radio 4 radio drama, broadcast every weekday at 2.15pm. Generally each play is 45 minutes in duration and approximately 190 new plays are broadcast each ...

of 4 May 2007, ''The Master and Mrs Tucker'', by

Roy Apps Roy Apps (born 1951) is a British screenwriter, dramatist and children's author. In 2001 Roy Apps was awarded a personal BAFTA for outstanding contributions to children's film and television. For 10 years he wrote for the award-winning CBBC se ...

, which told of Coward's friendship with

Edith Nesbit Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books. She was also a political activist a ...

(played by

Ann Bell Ann Forrest Bell (born 29 April 1938) is a British actress, best known for playing war internee Marion Jefferson in the BBC Second World War drama series '' Tenko'' (1981–84). She was born in Wallasey, Cheshire, the daughter of John Forrest ...

). ''Marvellous Party'', a comic play about a middle-age reunion in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

of Coward and his collaborator Esmé Wynne-Tyson, by her son Jon Wynne-Tyson, was broadcast by the BBC World Service in May 1994, starring Stanley Baxter as Coward and

Dorothy Tutin Dame Dorothy Tutin, (8 April 19306 August 2001) was an English actress of stage, film and television. For her work in the theatre, she won two Olivier Awards and two ''Evening Standard'' Awards for Best Actress. She was made a CBE in 1967 and ...

as Wynne-Tyson. Coward is the leading figure in Jeremy Kingston's comedy, ''Making Dickie Happy'', also featuring Agatha Christie and Louis Mountbatten (the 'Dickie' of the title), first staged at the Rosemary Branch Theatre in London in September 2004. ''Two Old Queens'', by John Senczuk, is a musical comic duologue between Coward (or his spirit) and the Queen Mother at the unveiling of the statue of Coward in Poets' Corner. The piece has been touring in Australia since 2007. A play about the friendship between Coward and

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

, called '' Lunch with Marlene'', by Chris Burgess, ran at the

New End Theatre The New End Theatre, Hampstead, was an 80-seat fringe theatre venue in London, at 27 New End in the London Borough of Camden which operated from 1974 until 2011. It was founded in 1974 by Buddy Dalton in the converted mortuary of the now-de ...

in 2008. The second act presents a musical revue, including Coward songs such as "Don't Let's Be Beastly to the Germans". He is also portrayed in several films and in television and radio shows. He was played by his godson Daniel Massey in the 1969 film '' Star!'' and by

David Benson David Benson (born David Hodgson on 11 January 1962) is an English theatre actor, writer and comedian. He was born in Oxford, England, and has a twin sister, Miranda, and an older brother, Jonathan. Educated at Park Hall Secondary Modern in C ...

) as a regular character in the fifth and sixth series of the award-winning BBC sitcom '' Goodnight Sweetheart''. In the episode "Meltdown" of the BBC comedy '' Red Dwarf'', Coward appears as a wax-droid on a theme park planet. In a 1989 TV film about James Bond creator Ian Fleming, Coward was played by

Julian Fellowes Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, (born 17 August 1949) is an English actor, novelist, film director and screenwriter, and a Conservative peer of the House of Lords. He is primarily known as the author of se ...

. Coward is portrayed by

Guy Siner Guy Domville Siner (born 16 October 1947) is an American-born English actor best known for his role as Oberleutnant Hubert Gruber in the British television series Allo 'Allo!'' and Dr. Mittenhand in '' Leprechaun 4: In Space''. Early life ...

in the 1991 episode "Royal Flush" of the BBC comedy '' You Rang, M'Lord?''. Marcy Kahan's Noël Coward quintet for

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

dramatises Coward as a detective in '' Design For Murder'' (2000), '' A Bullet at Balmain's'' (2003) and '' Death at the Desert Inn'' (2004), and as a spy in ''Blithe Spy'' (2002) and ''Our Man in Jamaica'' (2007). The cast of the quintet includes Malcolm Sinclair as Coward,

Eleanor Bron Eleanor Bron (born 14 March 1938) is an English stage, film and television actress, and an author. Her film roles include Ahme in the Beatles musical ''Help!'' (1965), the Doctor in '' Alfie'' (1966), Margaret Spencer in '' Bedazzled'' (1967), a ...

as his secretary and Tam Williams as Cole Lesley. The 2002 '' Doctor Who'' novel '' Mad Dogs and Englishmen'' features a version of Coward who has allied himself with alien

poodles , nickname = , stock = , country = Germany or France (see history) , height = , maleheight = , femaleheight = , weight = , maleweight = , femaleweight = , coat ...

and gained

time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a ...

technology. Other characters based on Coward include Beverly Carlton in the 1939 Broadway play ''

The Man Who Came to Dinner ''The Man Who Came to Dinner'' is a comedy play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It debuted on October 16, 1939, at the Music Box Theatre in New York City, where it ran until 1941, closing after 739 performances. It then enjoyed a number of N ...

''.

Reginald Gardiner William Reginald Gardiner (27 February 1903 – 7 July 1980) was an English actor on the stage, in films and on television. Early years Gardiner was born in Wimbledon, England, and he was a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.Katz, ...

played the same character in the 1942 film of the play).

Uses and cultural references

Uses, homages and

parodies A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

of Coward's music and writings include a Monty Python parody, " Penis Song", used in their 1983 movie, '' The Meaning of Life'' and in their album ''

Monty Python Sings ''Monty Python Sings'' is a compilation album of songs by English comedy troupe Monty Python. Released in 1989 to celebrate their 20th anniversary, it contains popular songs from their previous albums and films. The album was dedicated to the me ...

'', sung in the persona of a Noel Coward-style lounge singer. Coward's dialogue style was lampooned in the recurring sketch ''Fiona and Charles'' in the radio show ''

Round the Horne ''Round the Horne'' is a BBC Radio comedy programme starring Kenneth Horne, first transmitted in four series of weekly episodes from 1965 until 1968. The show was created by Barry Took and Marty Feldman, who wrote the first three series. The ...

''. Coward's play ''

'' is parodied in the off-Broadway musical revue '' Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know'' in a short scene entitled "Private Wives". The 2007 video game

BioShock ''BioShock'' is a 2007 first-person shooter, first-person shooter game developed by 2K Boston (later Irrational Games) and 2K Australia, and published by 2K Games. The first game in the BioShock (series), ''BioShock'' series, it was released f ...

features three of Coward's recordings: "Twentieth Century Blues", "World Weary" and "The Party's Over Now". The opening to the song " The Lady Is a Tramp" includes the line "Alas, I missed the Beaux Arts Ball, and what is twice as sad I was never at a party where they honored Noël Ca-ad (Coward)". In the

Ian Dury Ian Robins Dury (12 May 1942 27 March 2000) was a British singer, songwriter and actor who rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and new wave era of rock music. He was the lead singer and lyricist of Ian Dury and the Blockheads ...

song "There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards", the lyrics include: "Noël Coward was a charmer/ As a writer he was brahma /Velvet jackets and pyjamas/ ''The Gay Divorce'' and other dramas."Mason, Stewart
"Ian Dury / Ian Dury & the Blockheads: 'There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards'"
Allmusic.com, accessed 20 February 2015 In the episode "Back in the Red" of '' Red Dwarf'', Lister refers to Kryten as sounding "like Noël Coward's elocution teacher". In the episode " Spin" of '' House M.D.'', Stacy comments on an argument between House and Mark by saying: "My goodness, it's like watching Oscar Wilde and Noël Coward in the third grade." In the (1969) English film '' Kes'', a man inquires about his interest in Coward's autobiography, ''Present Indicative''. The name of the men's clothing line 'Godspeed the Well-Dressed Man' came from the closing of one of Coward's letters.

Notes

References

* Castle, Charles. ''Noël'', W. H. Allen, London, 1972. . *Fisher, Clive. ''Noël Coward''. Weidenfeld 1992. . *Hoare, Philip. ''Noël Coward, A Biography''.

Sinclair-Stevenson Sinclair-Stevenson Ltd is a British publisher founded in 1989 by Christopher Sinclair-Stevenson. Christopher Sinclair-Stevenson became an editor at Hamish Hamilton Hamish Hamilton Limited was a British book publishing house, founded in 1931 ...

1995. . *Kaplan, Joel and Sheila Stowel. ''Look Back in Pleasure: Noël Coward Reconsidered''. Methuen, 2000. . *Lahr, John. ''Coward the Playwright'', Methuen, London, 1982. . *Lesley, Cole. ''The Life of Noël Coward''. Cape 1976. . *Morley, Sheridan. ''A Talent to Amuse''. Heinemann 1969/Penguin Books, London, 1974, . * Payn, Graham. ''My Life with Noël Coward'', Applause Books, 1994. . *Richards, Dick. ''The Wit of Noël Coward'', Sphere Books, 1970. *Tynan, Kenneth. ''Tynan on Theatre'', Penguin Books, London, 1964.

External links

The Noël Coward Society

at the Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, Television and Film {{DEFAULTSORT:Cultural impact of Noel Coward Noël Coward Coward, Noel Coward, Noel Coward, Noel Coward, Noel Coward, Noel Coward, Noel Coward, Noel