Oh, Coward!

Oh, Coward!

Oh, Coward! is a musical revue in two acts devised by Roderick Cook and containing music and lyrics by Noël Coward. The revue consists of two men and one woman in formal dress, performing songs based on the following themes: England, family album, travel, theatre, love and women.[1] There are also sketches, such as "London Pastoral" which tells of the joys of London in the spring, "Family Album" about relatives who "were not excessively bright", and a scene with excerpts from several of Coward's plays, such as Private Lives.[2]

It ran Off-Broadway in 1972, in London in 1975 and on Broadway in 1986. Also in 1972 a revue along similar lines, Cowardy Custard played in London.

Contents

Productions

The revue premiered Off-Broadway on October 4, 1972 and was one of the last Noël Coward shows staged during his life. It played for 294 performances at the New Theatre. Its cast included Barbara Cason, Jamie Ross and Roderick Cook, who also directed the revue. A London production opened on 5 June 1975 at the Criterion Theatre, starring Cook, Ross and Geraldine McEwan, and ran until 2 August 1975.[3] The show later played on Broadway beginning on November 17, 1986 at the Helen Hayes Theatre, where it ran for 56 performances. Again directed by and starring Cook, the cast also featured Catherine Cox and Patrick Quinn. The production received two Tony Award nominations, Best Actor and Actress in a Musical for Cook and Cox.

Of the London production, Michael Billington of The Guardian wrote, "the star performer is undeniably Mr Cook himself... with a dangerous tooth-baring smile... he delivers each syllable of each song with a clinical, omniscient precision. Geraldine McEwan, willowy and acidulous in white satin, likewise realises that merciless articulation is the key to Coward performing, and Jamie Ross amiably makes up the trio in the manner of someone completing a country house party."[4] The New York Times review of the 1986 production noted, "The performance is determinedly low-key and genteel, in keeping with its source. Neither in the selection of material nor in the performances does the show overstep into self-parody, as is often the case in other musical anthologies. As before, Mr. Cook lets Coward speak and sing for himself, which he does, trippingly."[5]

A review of the original cast recording compared it with the contemporary London show, Cowardy Custard: "The formula is much the same, a show made out of Noël Coward's writing and composing. Where it differs is that Cowardy Custard was a carefully co-ordinated revue, this is more of a cabaret entertainment, the songs being delivered by the three performers without, as far as one can judge from the recording, any attempt at staging, accompanied by two pianos, bass, drums and percussion... the Coward enthusiast will note the first recording ever of his early trio 'Bright Young People'."[6]

Songs

Note: Partial list[2]

Act 1
  • Medley
  • "Something To Do With Spring"
  • "Bright Young People"
  • "Poor Little Rich Girl"
  • "Zigeuner"
  • "Let's Say Goodbye"
  • "This Is A Changing World"
  • "We Were Dancing"
  • "Dance Little Lady"
  • "A Room With A View"
  • "Sail Away"
  • "The End of the News"
  • "The Stately Homes of England"
  • "London Pride"
  • "Family Album"
  • "The Music Hall" medley
  • "Chase Me, Charlie"
  • "Saturday Night at the Rose and Crown"
  • "The Island of Bolamazoo"
  • "What Ho! Mrs. Brisket"
  • "Has Anybody Seen Our Ship?"
  • "Men About Town"
  • "If Love Were All"
  • "Why Do The Wrong People Travel?"
  • "Mrs. Worthington"
Act 2
  • "Mad Dogs and Englishmen"
  • "A Marvelous Party"
  • "You Were There"
  • "I Am No Good At Love"
  • "Sex Talk"
  • "A Question of Lighting"
  • "Mad About the Boy"
  • "Nina"
  • "In A Bar On The Piccola Marina"
  • "World Weary"
  • Finale-Medley
  • "Where Are The Songs We Sang?"
  • "Someday I'll Find You"
  • "If Love Were All"
  • "Play, Orchestra, Play"

References

  1. ^ Flinn, Denny Martin. Little musicals for little theatres (2006), p. 229, Hal Leonard Corporation, ISBN 0879103213
  2. ^ a b Oh, Coward! at MTI Shows
  3. ^ The Guardian 6 June 1975, p. 10 and 2 August 1975, p.7
  4. ^ The Guardian, 6 June 1975, p. 10
  5. ^ Gussow, Mel. "Theatre: 'Oh Coward' is Revived",The New York Times, November 18, 1986
  6. ^ Myers, Peter. The Gramophone, January 1974, p. 110. [1]

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Coward Springs, South Australia — Coward Springs South Australia …   Wikipedia

  • Coward of the County — Single by Kenny Rogers from the album Kenny …   Wikipedia

  • Coward — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Barry Coward (1941–2011), britischer Historiker John Coward (* 1910), britischer Eishockeyspieler Harold G. Coward (* 1936), Religionswissenschaftler, Philosoph und Indologe Noël Coward (1899–1973),… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Coward — Cow ard (kou ?rd), a. [OF. couard, coard, coart, n. and adj., F. couard, fr. OF. coe, coue, tail, F. queue (fr. L. coda, a form of cauda tail) + ard; orig., short tailed, as an epithet of the hare, or perh., turning tail, like a scared dog. Cf.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Coward, South Carolina —   Town   Location of Coward in South Carolina …   Wikipedia

  • coward — mid 13c., from O.Fr. coart coward (no longer the usual word in French, which has now in this sense poltron, from Italian, and láche), from coe tail, from L. coda, popular dialect variant of cauda tail, of uncertain origin + ard, an agent noun… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Coward (album) — Coward Studio album by Made Out of Babies Released September 5, 2006 (2006 09 05) Genre Post hardcore …   Wikipedia

  • Coward — Coward, SC U.S. town in South Carolina Population (2000): 650 Housing Units (2000): 263 Land area (2000): 3.423126 sq. miles (8.865856 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.006545 sq. miles (0.016951 sq. km) Total area (2000): 3.429671 sq. miles (8.882807 …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Coward, SC — U.S. town in South Carolina Population (2000): 650 Housing Units (2000): 263 Land area (2000): 3.423126 sq. miles (8.865856 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.006545 sq. miles (0.016951 sq. km) Total area (2000): 3.429671 sq. miles (8.882807 sq. km)… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Coward — Cow ard, n. A person who lacks courage; a timid or pusillanimous person; a poltroon. [1913 Webster] A fool is nauseous, but a coward worse. Dryden. Syn: Craven; poltroon; dastard. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • coward — [kou′ərd] n. [ME & OFr couard, coward, lit., with tail between the legs < OFr coue, coe, tail < L cauda, tail] a person who lacks courage, esp. one who is shamefully unable to control fear and so shrinks from danger or trouble adj. cowardly …   English World dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”