Cowardy Custard
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Cowardy Custard is a musical revue and was one of the last Noel Coward shows staged during his life. It was devised by Gerard Frow, Alan Strachan and Wendy Toye. The term "cowardy custard" is a taunt used by schoolchildren in the UK equivalent to "scardey cat" in the U.S.[1]
Telling the story of Coward's life through song and biographical snippets, the revue was billed as 'An entertainment featuring the words and music of Noel Coward'. The Coward numbers featured are songs and scenes from the 1920s to the 1960s, including "Shadow Play", "Mad About the Boy"; "The Stately Homes of England", "I Wonder What Happened to Him?" and, perhaps most memorably, "Marvellous Party" (sung by Patricia Routledge in the original production). The revue also contains previously unpublished material, excerpts of plays and dialogues, material from Coward's autobiographies and a few of his little-known poems. Sketches featured include Scenes from Shadow Play, Present Laughter, and Design for Living.
The original production and opened at the Mermaid Theatre, London on 10 July 1972 as part of the 1972 City of London Festival and ran for over a year for a total of 405 performances. It was directed by Wendy Toye and employed a cast of twelve (six men and six women), featuring Patricia Routledge, Derek Waring, John Moffatt, Elaine Delmar, Una Stubbs, Jonathan Cecil, Peter Gale, Anna Sharkey, Geoffrey Burridge, Laurel Ford and Olivia Breeze.
After its run in London, the show toured the UK with different cast members. It has since mostly been produced by amateur groups. 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 show was made by RCA. The production also spawned a book.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Musical numbers
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[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Profile of the show at the NODA website
- Notes to RCA original cast recording SER 5656/57
- Information about the revue at the Samuel French site
