"1986 at the Vaudeville Theatre, starring Simon Cadell as Charles, Jane Asher as Ruth, Joanna Lumley as Elvira and Marcia Warren as Madame Arcati. ""Blithe Spirit"" was revived on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre on 31 March 1987 in a production directed by Brian Murray. It starred Richard Chamberlain as Charles, Judith Ivey as Ruth, Blythe Danner as Elvira and Geraldine Page as Madame Arcati. It ran for 104 performances. Page, who received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress, died of a heart attack during the run; Patricia Conolly succeeded her in the role. In 2002 the play"
"try to exorcise them. It is not until Madame Arcati works out that the housemaid, Edith, is psychic and had unwittingly been the conduit through which Elvira was summoned that she succeeds in dematerialising both ghosts. Charles is left seemingly in peace, but Madame Arcati, hinting that the ghosts may still be around unseen, warns him that he should go far away as soon as possible. Coward repeats one of his signature theatrical devices at the end of the play, where the central character tiptoes out as the curtain falls – a device that he also used in ""Present Laughter"","
"Cavalcade (play) Cavalcade is a play by Noël Coward with songs by Coward and others. It focuses on three decades in the life of the Marryots, a quintessential British family, and their servants, beginning in 1900 and ends on New Year's Eve in 1929 and is set against major historical events of the period, including the Relief of Mafeking; the death of Queen Victoria; the sinking of the Titanic; and the First World War. The popular songs at the time of each event were interwoven into the score. The play was premièred in London in 1931 at the large Theatre"
"Ring"" at the Earl's Court Exhibition Theatre. She made her London West End debut in ""Turandot"" at the St James's Theatre in 1913, following which she appeared in many West End productions. In the theatre, she became one of Noël Coward's ""leading ladies"" appearing in several of his plays, in particular, ""Cavalcade"" in 1931. In September 1936 she played the leading role in the play ""Laura Garnett"", by Leslie and Sewell Stokes, at the Arts Theatre Club, London and played the lead role of the victim in Agatha Christie's 1945 play ""Appointment with Death"". In 1960, she appeared in Noël"
"and all ends happily. Lady Windermere never learns that Mrs Erlynne is her mother. In his book ""My Life with Noël Coward"", Graham Payn reproduced the lyrics for two major numbers featuring Mrs Erlynne which had to be cut because Mary Ellis could not manage them: Mrs Erlynne's entrance in Act I and an aria in the first act finale. After the original run, there has been only one professional revival in the West End, a 1999 Coward centenary production at the Peacock Theatre, London, conducted by John McGlinn. Casts of the original production and the revival are given below."
"Since September 2005, the theatre has been owned by Delfont-Mackintosh Ltd. It underwent major refurbishment in 2006, and was renamed the Noël Coward Theatre when it re-opened for the London premiere of ""Avenue Q"" on 1 June 2006. Noël Coward, one of Britain's greatest playwrights and actors, appeared in his own play, ""I'll Leave It To You"", at the then New Theatre in 1920, the first West End production of one of his plays. The theatre seats 872 patrons on four levels. The building is now a Grade II Listed structure. After opening in 1903 with a production of ""Rosemary"""
"at the Morosco Theatre in a production staged by John C. Wilson and designed by Stewart Chaney. In the cast were Clifton Webb as Charles, Peggy Wood as Ruth, Leonora Corbett as Elvira and Mildred Natwick as Madame Arcati. The play transferred to the Booth Theatre on 18 May 1942; it ran for a total of 657 performances. Coward starred as Charles in a wartime UK touring company, beginning in September 1942, with Joyce Carey as Ruth, Judy Campbell as Elvira and Molly Johnson as Madame Arcati. Dennis Price covered for Coward when the latter was taken ill. Another wartime"
"is not Coward's thumping message but the mechanical nature of Cavan's civilian Cook's tour and the easy caricature of soft targets: philandering press-magnates, pleasure-seeking bishops and purblind Lady Bountifuls. Surprisingly, Coward's social satire is less potent than his straightforward political anger."" ""The Sunday Times"" praised both the production and the play: I would never have guessed that this 80-minute vitriolic anti-war fantasy, written in 1930, was by Noel Coward. Its first professional production reveals it as a tough, febrile piece, awash with melodrama and blazing up now and again with bitter, glittering humour... Coward's hatred of this brittle, blasé age,"
"Marti Stevens as Elvira, Jan Waters as Ruth, and Cicely Courtneidge as Madame Arcati. A London cast album was released by Pye Records, for whom Coward himself also recorded four numbers from the show: ""Something Tells Me"", ""If I Gave You"", ""Forever and a Day"", and ""Home Sweet Heaven"".In 1964, Courtneidge accepted the role of Madame Arcati in the London production of ""High Spirits"". This was an unhappy episode in her career. Coward himself co-directed, and the two clashed constantly in rehearsal. Courtneidge later said, ""Everyone ""does"" adore him – me included – but he's ""hell"" to work with, and"
"of the theatre that had been his dream for over a decade. The theatre opened its doors on 9 February 1920 with ""The Winter's Tale"" on the renovated stage. The almost bare stage and the gray walls in the background puzzled critics and the public alike. The next offerings, Charles Vildrac's ""Le Paquebot Tenacity"" (""The Steamboat Tenacity"") and Prosper Mérimée's ""Le Carrosse du Saint-Sacrement"" elicited both critical and popular favor. The story of two young men, Ségard and Bastien, waiting for the S.S. Tenacity with its love interest—Ségard runs off with a barmaid, Thérèse, to live out his life in"
"The Vortex The Vortex is a play in three acts by the English writer and actor Noël Coward. The play depicts the sexual vanity of a rich, ageing beauty, her troubled relationship with her adult son, and drug abuse in British society circles after the First World War. The son's cocaine habit is seen by many critics as a metaphor for homosexuality, then taboo in Britain. Despite, or because of, its controversial content for the time, the play was Coward's first great commercial success. The play premiered in November 1924 in London and played in three theatres until June 1925,"
"role in the 1998 ITV serial ""Coming Home"". Keith has regularly appeared on stage, taking the classics and new plays across the country. These include Shakespeare, Shaw, Sheridan, Wilde, Rattigan and Congreve. She played Lorraine in Noël Coward's ""Star Quality"", while in 2004 she played Madame Arcati in Coward's ""Blithe Spirit"" at the Savoy Theatre. In 2004, Keith starred in the first of 5 full-cast BBC radio dramatisations of M.C. Beaton's ""Agatha Raisin"" novels, playing the title role. Two years later, she appeared at the Chichester Festival in the premiere of Richard Everett's comedy ""Entertaining Angels"", which she later took"
"'the utter foulness of growing old' in particular. These two damaged but hitherto seemingly trivial characters powerfully draw our empathy now, in all their weltering petulance, vanity and self-pity."" The Vortex The Vortex is a play in three acts by the English writer and actor Noël Coward. The play depicts the sexual vanity of a rich, ageing beauty, her troubled relationship with her adult son, and drug abuse in British society circles after the First World War. The son's cocaine habit is seen by many critics as a metaphor for homosexuality, then taboo in Britain. Despite, or because of, its"
"the Albery Theatre (subsequently renamed the Noël Coward Theatre). Duncan won the Olivier Award for her performance, Tim Hatley won for his set designs, and Jenny Beavan won for costumes. A Broadway transfer of Davies's West End production, starring Rickman and Duncan, ran for 127 performances at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in 2002. It won the Tony Award for Best Revival, while Duncan won for Leading Actress and Hatley won for sets. In 2009 at its new home, the Hampstead Theatre presented a revival directed by Lucy Bailey, with Jasper Britton as Elyot and Claire Price as Amanda. A 2010"
"Hay Fever (play) Hay Fever is a comic play written by Noël Coward in 1924 and first produced in 1925 with Marie Tempest as the first Judith Bliss. Best described as a cross between high farce and a comedy of manners, the play is set in an English country house in the 1920s, and deals with the four eccentric members of the Bliss family and their outlandish behaviour when they each invite a guest to spend the weekend. The self-centred behaviour of the hosts finally drives their guests to flee while the Blisses are so engaged in a family row"
"Elaine Delmar, Una Stubbs, Jonathan Cecil, Peter Gale, Anna Sharkey, Geoffrey Burridge, Laurel Ford, Tudor Davies and Olivia Breeze. The musical director was John Burrows. After its run in London, the show toured the UK with different cast members. It has since been produced by amateur groups. Also in 1972, a revue on similar lines, ""Oh, Coward!,"" played in New York at the New Theatre, achieving 294 performances. A recording of the original London production of ""Cowardy Custard"" was made by RCA. The production also spawned a book called ""Cowardy Custard: The World of Noël Coward"". A new version of"
"company performed songs by Noël Coward, a charity auction was hosted by Christopher Biggins and there were special guest appearances by Imelda Staunton and Barry Humphries. Proceeds from the event were donated to Asylum Link Merseyside, Combined Theatrical Charities, Masterclass, Mousetrap, the Noël Coward Foundation and the Royal Academy of Music. Janie Dee Janie Dee (born 20 June 1962) is an English actress and singer. She won the Olivier Award for Best Actress, Evening Standard Award and Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Play, and in New York the Obie and Theatre World Award for Best Newcomer,"
"adaptation of the same name received critical acclaim and won the Academy Award for best picture. Cavalcade (play) Cavalcade is a play by Noël Coward with songs by Coward and others. It focuses on three decades in the life of the Marryots, a quintessential British family, and their servants, beginning in 1900 and ends on New Year's Eve in 1929 and is set against major historical events of the period, including the Relief of Mafeking; the death of Queen Victoria; the sinking of the Titanic; and the First World War. The popular songs at the time of each event were"
"missing a lot."" The work in radio kept her busy, and included appearances in a Canadian radio production of the popular comic strip ""Buck Rogers"", as well as a morning show, ""Good morning Breakfast Club."" These were in the 1930s. It was in the 1940s that her stage career really took off. Favorite roles she mentioned frequently in interviews included Madam Arcati in Noel Coward's ""Blithe Spirit"" (she played in at least four different productions of it), Madam Alvarez in ""Gigi"", Lady Bracknell in Oscar Wilde's ""The Importance of Being Earnest,"" and the Bernard Shaw drama, ""Arms and the Man"""
"Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ""Time"" magazine called ""a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise"". Coward attended a dance academy in London as a child, making his professional stage début at the age of eleven. As a teenager he was introduced into the high society in which most of his plays would be set. Coward achieved enduring success as a playwright, publishing more than 50 plays from his teens onwards. Many"
"to be based partly on the actress herself, who was a member of Coward's inner circle. Present Laughter Present Laughter is a comic play written by Noël Coward. The play's title comes from a song in Shakespeare's ""Twelfth Night"", which urges ""carpe diem"" (""present mirth hath present laughter""), and so the word ""present"" in the title should be pronounced as the adjective , not the verb . The plot follows a few days in the life of the successful and self-obsessed light comedy actor Garry Essendine as he prepares to travel for a touring commitment in Africa. Amid a series"
"of Cupid to a real boy in ""Orphée aux Enfers."" But Sarah Bernhardt played Hamlet in tights, giving French audiences a glimpse of Leg (the other in fact being a prosthesis) and Prince Orlovsky, who gives the ball in ""Die Fledermaus,"" is a mezzo-soprano, to somewhat androgynous effect. The use of ""travesti"" in Richard Strauss's ""Rosenkavalier"" (1912) is a special case, unusually subtle and evocative of its 18th-century setting, and should be discussed in detail at ""Der Rosenkavalier."" The self-consciously risqué bourgeois high jinks of Brandon Thomas' ""Charley's Aunt"" (London, 1892) were still viable theatre material in ""La Cage aux"
"as Madame Arcati, with Bob Fosse as director. Coward's dream cast failed to materialize, but he continued with the project. The musical opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on April 7, 1964, and closed on February 27, 1965, after 375 performances and 14 previews. Gower Champion aided Coward in directing the musical. The cast featured Edward Woodward as Charles, Tammy Grimes as Elvira, Louise Troy as Ruth, Beatrice Lillie as Madame Arcati, and Carol Arthur as Edith. Christopher Walken, billed as Ronnie Walken was in the chorus. Fred Werner was music director, scenic and costumes design were by Robert"
"actress looking very different from one role to another. 2013 was her 22nd season: She played Queen Elizabeth I in Friedrich Schiller's ""Mary Stuart"" directed by Antoni Cimolino and Madame Arcati in Noël Coward's ""Blithe Spirit"" directed by Brian Bedford. She has also played leading roles in many other major houses across Canada, including the title role in ""Antony and Cleopatra"" by William Shakespeare (Centaur Theatre), Maggie in ""Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"" by Tennessee Williams (Grand Theatre, London), ""The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe"" by Jane Wagner (Belfry Theatre, Neptune Theatre, National Arts Centre,"
"Marcia Warren Marcia Warren (born 26 November 1943) is an English stage, film and television actress. On stage, she appeared in ""Blithe Spirit"" as Madame Arcati, and ""The Sea"" (2008) at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. She is a two time Olivier Award winner. Warren trained as an actress at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, graduating in 1963. From there on she took the path of many of her performing contemporaries, acting in repertory throughout the country - beginning as an assistant stage manager in ""David Copperfield"" in Salisbury. From 2013 to 2016, she played the role of"
"Sorel and Benjamin Whitrow as Richard. Hay Fever (play) Hay Fever is a comic play written by Noël Coward in 1924 and first produced in 1925 with Marie Tempest as the first Judith Bliss. Best described as a cross between high farce and a comedy of manners, the play is set in an English country house in the 1920s, and deals with the four eccentric members of the Bliss family and their outlandish behaviour when they each invite a guest to spend the weekend. The self-centred behaviour of the hosts finally drives their guests to flee while the Blisses are"
"the show, revised by Strachan, was toured in the UK in spring 2011, starring Dillie Keane and Kit and The Widow, with Stuart Neal and Savannah Stevenson. It included unpublished material and excerpts from Coward's diaries and memoirs, as well as the songs and scenes. Charles Spencer in ""The Daily Telegraph"" wrote, ""This loving tribute to Noël Coward … now revised for a smaller cast ... is a classy delight … from Dillie Keane's hilariously hooting, rubber-legged drunk-act during 'I've Been to a Marvellous Party' ... to Kit Hesketh-Harvey's amazing hip-swivelling during the Latin American number 'Nina'."" From Mermaid Theatre"
"that capacity for more than forty years, until her death. In 1920, at the age of 20, Coward starred in his own play, the light comedy ""I'll Leave It to You"". After a tryout in Manchester, it opened in London at the New Theatre (renamed the Noël Coward Theatre in 2006), his first full-length play in the West End. Neville Cardus's praise in ""The Manchester Guardian"" was grudging. Notices for the London production were mixed, but encouraging. ""The Observer"" commented, ""Mr Coward... has a sense of comedy, and if he can overcome a tendency to smartness, he will probably produce"
"Coward Theatre included in the cast Lindsay Duncan as Judith, Jeremy Northam as Richard, Kevin McNally as David, Olivia Colman as Myra, Sam Callis as Sandy, Freddie Fox as Simon, Amy Morgan as Jackie, Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Sorrel, and Jenny Galloway as Clara. 2014 revivals included one at the Stratford Festival, in Canada, with Lucy Peacock as Judith, Cynthia Dale as Myra, and Tyrone Savage as Sandy; and a UK tour with Felicity Kendal as Judith, Simon Shepherd as David, Sara Stewart as Myra, Celeste Dodwell as Jackie, and Alice Orr-Ewing as Sorrel. A UK television production in 1960 in"
"the Noel Coward Theatre in London's West End with an official opening night of 16 February 2016 following previews from 9 February. The majority of the cast reprised their roles with the exceptions of Mark Hadfield, who was replaced in the role of Arthur by former EastEnders actor Jamie Foreman, Graham Hoadly who was replaced (owing to a prior contractual commitment) in the role of Lord Cromer by Robert Hands and Jane Milligan who was replaced in the role of Lady Conway by Liz Ewing. Mrs Henderson Presents Mrs Henderson Presents is a 2005 British biographical film written by American"
"mixture and not untouched by genius of a sort"". After the London premiere, Ivor Brown commented in ""The Observer"" on the skill with which Coward had treated his potentially difficult subject; he ended his notice, ""But here is a new play, a gay play, and one irresistibly propelled into our welcoming hearts by Miss Rutherford's Lady of the Trances, as rapt a servant of the séance as ever had spirits on tap."" The London correspondent of ""The Guardian"" wrote, ""London received Mr Noel Coward's ghoulish farce with loud, though not quite unanimous acclaim. There was a solitary boo – from"
"While not very successful at the time and a disappointing adaptation according to Coward himself, it has since come to be considered notable for its Technicolor photography and Academy Award-winning visual effects in particular and has been re-released several times, notably as one of the ten early David Lean features restored by the British Film Institute for release in 2008. Seeking background material for a mystery he is working on, novelist Charles Condomine invites eccentric medium Madame Arcati to his home in Lympne, Kent, to conduct a séance. As Charles, his wife Ruth and their guests, George and Violet Bradman"
"Le Méchant Le Méchant (French: ""The Villain"") is a 1747 play by Jean-Baptiste-Louis Gresset. It is considered the best verse comedy of the eighteenth-century French stage. Like Tartuffe (and Destouches's ""Ingrat"" and ""Médisant""), the title character, Сléon, schemes to gain his provincial host's money and marry his female relatives - here, Géronte's sister and niece rather than his daughter. Сléon, who thinks the height of pleasure is to be both feared and desired, persuades Valère not to marry Сhloé and promises to marry Florise, but is eventually exposed by the wise Ariste and the clever Lisette, who enlist his manservant"