Noel Coward Top Ten (Plays)

 1. Still Life (1936) aka the play that was turned into Brief Encounter (1945). .Easily the best of Coward’s Tonight at 8:30 works, it’s the sort of drama that is easy to mock from a distance but retains great empathy and understanding. The film is very faithful but accentuates everything and Celia Johnson delivers perhaps the greatest “acting with eyes” performance in history.
2. Peace in Our Time (1947). This flopped and is rarely revived but I really enjoyed it - an account of what Britain might’ve been liked had they lost the war. A serious drama. The fact the baddies were Nazis make Coward’s reactionary politics, which can be hard to swallow (eg Cavalcade, This Happy Breed, South Sea Bubble, Relative Values) more palatable. This would’ve made a good film.
3. Nude without Violin (1957) - Coward’s post war plays aren’t as revived as his output 1925-45 because, to be frank, they aren’t as good but this is a fun satire albeit of some low hanging fruit, the modern art world. (Waiting in the Wings has a fabulous idea but is far too serious.)
4. Song at Twilight (1966) - Coward’s last produced play and a deserved success because it’s a post war work with a bit of guts and honesty behind it.
5. Blithe Spirit (1941) - this play is pretty perfect. Director-proof.
6. Present Laughter (1939) - we are getting into obvious choices here, this is great fun, and I can’t believe it was never filmed.
7. Private Lives (1929) - obvious choice. The jokes about domestic violence maybe haven’t aged too well.
8. Design for Living (1932) - again, obvious choice, very ahead of the curve with its kinky domestic arrangements.
9. The Vortex (1924) - I could’ve gone with Easy Virtue, Hay Fever, Fallen Angels... Coward’s 20s output was pretty strong (I didn’t mind Sirocco) but went for this because of its drama and the drug stuff is still fresh
10. Bitter Sweet (1932) - I don’t like the music but the book of this is a very good example of how to write the book of a musical (well, operetta) - simple, logical, different characters, romantic, emotional