Although Noël Coward's work as playwright, songwriter and actor has long been celebrated, his contributions to the British musical have largely been forgotten.
Selected Musical Plays by Noël Coward: A Critical Anthology rectifies this omission from the musical theatre landscape, demonstrating how Coward's adaptability, creativity, and myriad of styles is imitated in the incredible musicals he authored.
From flop shows at Drury Lane with Mary Martin through to his Broadway hits with Elaine Stritch, this anthology chronicles the variety of styles written by Coward, from revue to musical comedy to operetta. The works in this volume provide a contemporary critical introduction that illustrates the breadth and depth of his work, and highlighting the diverse identities of the collaborators and performers with whom he worked. Though the style of these works varies, they are linked together by his creative thread, and his ability to craft barbed and witty observations of his social world.
A timely portrait of Coward's oeuvre and its lasting influence on the wider world of the British musical,
Selected Musical Plays by Noël Coward contains previously unpublished musical plays by a central figure in theatre history, collected together with critical apparatus for students, scholars, and fans.
"Although Noèel Coward's work as playwright, songwriter and actor of stage and screen has long been celebrated, his contributions to the British musical have largely been forgotten. This lack of attention is due in part because of the idiosyncratic nature of the works themselves that imitates the creative nature of Coward himself. This new anthology rectifies this omission from the musical theatre landscape and together demonstrates his adaptability, the extent of his creativity, and the myriad of styles and genres that constituted British musicals from the 1920s-1970s. Through flop shows at Drury Lane with Mary Martin through to his Broadway hits with Elaine Stritch, this anthology spans a variety of styles, from revue to musical comedy to operetta. The works in this volume will provide a contemporary critical introduction to the wide range of Coward's musical works, illustrating the breadth and depth of his work, and highlighting the diverse identities of the collaborators and performers with whom he worked. Though the style of these works varies, they are linked together by his creative thread, and his ability to craft barbed and witty observations of his social world. This volume is a timely portrait of Coward's oeuvre and its lasting influence on the wider world of British theatre. This Year of Grace (1928), also known as Cochran's 1928 Revue Bitter Sweet (1929) Words and Music (1932) Pacific 1860 (1946) Ace of Clubs (1949) Sail Away (1961) The Girl Who Came to Supper (1963)"--
