Give 'em the old Razzle Dazzle: I fear on the whole, an ingénue role would emphasize her squint

Sunday 16 December 2012

I fear on the whole, an ingénue role would emphasize her squint

On the splendid occasion of that eternally inspirational icon of camp Sir Noel Coward's birthday, I think it appropriate to revisit the things I had to say on the occasion of his 110th anniversary in 2009:

It was for a very good reason that he was known as "The Master". His wit, camp, style and poise genuinely did epitomise a whole era of British life -through his plays, songs, music, acting, performance and sheer panache.

His stage productions including Cavalcade, The Vortex, Hay Fever, Private Lives, Design for Living, Present Laughter, Bitter Sweet and Blithe Spirit, and films such as Brief Encounter are forever embedded in the psyche as examples of what represents "Britishness" in classic 20th Century drama.

UK society [and indeed high society - among his close friends were Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Lord Louis Mountbatten} adored him so much that there was an almost universal decision to ignore his gay lifestyle and his long-term relationship with Graham Payn. ["There are still a few old ladies in Worthing who don't know", he said.]

After all, his film In Which We Serve and songs such as London Pride had been officially sanctioned as a major contribution to the war effort, and in real life he worked on behalf of the the Secret Service for much of WW2... The rest is history, as Sir Noel continued to be an internationally beloved dilettante until his death in 1973.