Noel Coward
Biography
Noel Coward was born in Teddington, England in 1899. He was the second child of Arthur Sabin Coward and Violet Agnes. Coward grew up in a family where finances were tight due to his fathers lack of determination and ambition. His mother, on the other hand, had high hopes for the young Noel. At a very young age, she immediately enrolled her son to a dance academy in London. There, he discovered his natural passion for dancing and acting. His first professional stint came when he was only seven years old. He took part in a childrens play entitled The Goldfish where he played the role of Prince Mussel (Morley 3).
In that same year, he was discovered by the actor-manager Charles Hawtrey, who eventually cast him in the play Where the Rainbow Ends. He played the part for about a year at Londons Garrick Theater. By 1912, he moved to the Savoy Theater where he participated as a ballet dancer in the play An Autumn Idyll. Apart from this, he also performed as the lead star in A Little Fowl Party at the London Coliseum, after which he appeared as one of Lost Boys in the play Peter Pan at the Liverpool Repertory Theater (Morley 3).
Cowards wide ranging experience as a child actor molded and prepared for his long and magnificent life in the stage. When he was 14, he was taken in as a protg of a society painter named Philip Streatfield. His teacher introduced him to high society where he met Mrs. Astley Cooper who later became one of his closest friends and supporter. When Streatfield died in 1915, Cooper continued to encourage the then teenage Coward to continue his career in theater (Morley 3).
The encouragement pushed Noel to continue his passion for play. Throughout the First World War, Coward, continued to partake in various plays such as the Happy Family in 1916 as well as in 1917s The Saving Grace. In one of his memoirs, Coward recalls his roles and parts. He later mentioned that his parts were logically big and that he was good in this part (Morley 22). He later stated I achieved a great deal of what I set out to achieve (Morley 22).
After three years, Coward became the star of his own play entitled Ill Leave it to You. His play was soon transferred to the New Theater in London. Cowards light yet fantastic works earned the attention of various newspapers. Editors would often comment on his plays as light, fresh, humorous, and witty. The play continued to ran for a month before Coward retuned as an actor to that works of other writers. He participated in the play The Knight of the Burning Pestle and the Better Half (Morley 23).
By 1921, Coward summoned his courage and traveled to America in the hope of interesting companies to produce his plays. The young writer however, found little luck. However, he discovered Broadway Theater interesting. He started to incorporate its smartest and pace in his work, which eventually brought him the success he was looking for. He wrote The Young Idea and opened it in London after two years. It then made a provincial tour with Coward playing as one of the lead roles. Soon enough, newspapers found themselves in love with his play exuberating and youthful (Morley 23).
Achievements and Influence
It was in 1924 when Coward experienced his first critical and financial success as a playwright when he created The Vortex. The play explored the life of a nymphomaniac socialite and her cocaine-addict son, played by Coward himself. At that time, the theme of the story came in as a shock to its audience since sexual vanity and drug abuse was something not discussed openly. The wit and the fieriness of the play attracted a huge number of audiences. It was later moved from a small suburban theater to a bigger one located in the West End. During its run, Coward also met Jack Wilson who later became his manager as well as lover (Morley 23).
The Vortex proved to be great success in London and America. This success became a catalyst for producers to demand for Cowards play. In 1925, he presented the play Fallen Angels which tackled the life of two women who were waiting for the same man. Although I experienced success, it was with Hay Fever that Coward earned a mainstream repertoire in theater. The play was about the life of an egocentric family that invited acquaintances in the country home. Critics later pointed out that this play showed resemblance to the life of his old friend and mentor Mrs. Astley Cooper. By the 1970s, the play was declared as classic.
The following years showed a great demand for his play. His works included Easy Virtue, The Marquise, Home Chat, On with the Dance, and This Year of Grace. The play Sirocco however, proved to be a flop, as theatergoers hated it (Morley 38). Despite of this failure however, Coward was still recognized as one of highest earning playwrights with a yearly income of 50,000. With this kind of earning, he continued to thrive and wrote a string of hits that ranged from grandiose spectaculars to small yet intimate plays. This includes Bitter Sweet, Design for Living, and Drury Lane. In his 1930 work Private Lives, Coward co-starred with Gertrude Lawrence and Laurence Olivier. This play became the highlight of Cowards career as it became a hit in both New York and London (Morley 47).
Apart from his success in the theater, Coward also conquered the world of music. He is particularly known to record popular tunes from his plays. This includes songs such as His Masters Voice, Ill see you Again, Mad Dogs and Englishmen and Mrs. Worthington.
With the advent of the Second World War, Coward left his career in the theater and engaged in official war work. During this period, he ran the British propaganda in Paris and even worked as a part of the British intelligence. Despite his interest, Winston Churchill advised him that he would make a better contribution as an entertainer that by doing intelligence work. Although he was disappointed, Coward heeded Churchills advice and created popular war songs such as Dont Lets Be Beastly to the Germans and London Pride. He also created plays such as the naval themed drama In Which We Serve and the black comedy Blithe Sprit (Morley 81).
Although Cowards war plays experienced success, it was not as popular and as successful as his pre-war pieces. He soon created other plays such as Relative Values, Quadrille, Pacific 1860, Sigh No More, Ace of Clubs, and South Sea Bubble. During the span of the 50s and 60s Coward continued to write plays as well as musicals. This includes hits such as After the Ball, The Girl Who Came to Supper, Waiting in the Wings, Look After Lulu, Pomp and Circumstance, and Lady Windmeres Fan. Sail Away, which premiered in 1961, was Cowards most successful musical after the war (Hoare 464). It was produced not only in London but in America and Australia as well. His final success on the stage came when he created Suite in Three Keys. He later confessed by saying that I would like to act one more before I Fold my bedraggled wings (Hoare 464).
His audience likewise, continued to love him for his unique wit and infectious flamboyance. In fact, he attracted a group of followers and fans that even copied the way he w0ould act and even dressed. His fans with often hang out in the theater balcony with their scarves or turtle neck and imitate their version of Noelism.
Apart from his contribution in the world of the stage, Coward also made waves in a number of notable films. Later in his career, his plays were adapted in the big screen. This includes Easy Virtue, Bitter Sweet, Relative Value, Brief Encounter, Design for Living, Private Lives, The Astonished Heart, and Tonight at Eight-Thirty among many others. Similarly, he also appeared in films where he took roles as an actor as well as participated as director, screenwriter, and producer. In movies such as Around the World in Eighty Days, The Italian Job, Boom, and Bunny Lake is Missing, Coward showed his years of acting experience. Consequently, he was also asked to appear to play other roles as well as write other scripts but he all turned them down (Hoare 479).
By the mid 1960s, theater enthusiasts began collating his work to celebrate his lifelong career in musicals such as Oh, Coward that was shown on Broadway and Cowardy Custard, which premiered in London. This plays revived Coward popularity as well as reputation as The Master. He was son invited to make a comeback as he was asked to direct Hay Fever at the National Theater (Hoare 479).
As the 60s began to fade, Coward suffered from arteriosclerosis and even suffered from memory loss. He died quietly on March 25, 1973 in his place in Jamaica due to heart failure. His death proved to be a great loss in the theater. He was then knighted in 1969 and received a Tony Award for his magnificent work and lifetime achievement (Morley 145).
Noel Cowards life has indeed revolved around the stage. His plays did not only entertain the audience but it resurrected and gave flair to the British theater. He was primarily noted as the person who brought the world the concept of Englishness with his one of kind flamboyance. He destroyed the idea of stiff lip of Britain and recreated a cool Britain. Time later described him as person who mastered his personal style, with a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise (Time 2).
When it comes to his plays, Coward injected speed and libido into the British drama. His music created an atmosphere of liveliness and fresh air, which eventually gave birth to the jazz dance craze in the 1920s. His colleagues in the stage would praise him for his versatility while bringing in vibe and style in theater. Apart from this, he would add glamour and humor to depict even the most trying times such as the Great Depression and World Wars. Alternatively, Coward was also praised for continually reinventing himself as well as his works. Decades after his death, Cowards style and characteristics are still being imitated in the stage and even on television and on the silver screen. This only goes to show that Coward legacy is still admired and it will continue to live even for generations to come.
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