""Noël Coward is at the center of everything theatrical in Britain," Quinn explained. "He knew everyone," she said, "but also was influenced by everyone and influenced everyone—he played such a key cultural role." Yet, despite this extraordinary impact Coward had on the theatre world, and while there are many Coward enthusiasts today, "much of our scholarly attention has been focused on the main figures in American musical theatre, or focused on people from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s generation onward. ..."

nypl.org/blog/2022/02/14/new-f…

I learned about Noel Coward through my interest in Clifton Webb, who was friends with him. Then, I learned about Ivor Novello through Noel Coward! Now, I'm learning about even more people through the three of them! With their humour and wit, Web ad Coward both remind me of Beau Brummell. Maybe, that's why I enjoy them so much, but Webb and Brummell were both proper gentlemen, whereas in private, Coward could use obscenities that would make a sailor blush. What really stands out to me about Coward is that, unlike Novello, he was neither classically trained nor well-educated. Everything he did was his own.

Anyway, this is a bit old, but I do wonder what new research has been done since then. I recently saw a wonderful documentary, called Mad About The Boy, which told the story of Noel Coward, and best of all, contained interviews of people who knew him. As for me, I'm not really much for modern theatre. I start in the Regency (I've seen a few earlier plays, too), enjoy the great operettas and Gilbert and Sullivan, and then, this lovely lot of characters. The singing today just can't compare, unless you go to the opera, and many of the storylines leave much to be desired. I would love to be proven wrong. I would also love to find performances of the old shows that aren't modernized in language and plot!

#CliftonWeb #IvorNovello #NoelCoward #theater #theatre

Good grief! I put half of my e-mail instead of my Dreamwidth account in the website box on my profile! I fixed it now. Sometimes, I just laugh at my silliness and wonder what on Earth I was thinking!

#funny #profile #silly

Have I lost my mind, or do I honestly have 547 followers? What on Earth? I heard the "five" and said "okay, that's not bad. I just created my account earlier this month". So I began following people. And after the first five, it continued! Then, I looked, and saw 547? Please forgive me if I've unfollowed you, but if these really are my contacts, I must go over them and see whom I wish to add? Somehow, I think I must have hit the wrong button and am looking at something else...

#followers #Friendica

I can't believe I didn't post this earlier! Anyway, here is a Dreamwidth entry of mine containing all sorts of links related to dandyism, including an entire section on Beau Brummell. As you can tell, this is another one of my great passions.

dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/181…

In case you missed it, this one is devoted to fashion itself.

dandylover1.dreamwidth.org/210…

#antiquemensware #BeauBrummell #books #British #clothing #dandies #dandyism #dandyism.net #Dreamwidth #Edwardian #fashion #history #mensware #Regency #suits #Victorian

I have a wonderful tribute video, called The Romantic World of Ivor Novello that I found on Youtube.

youtube.com/watch?v=NGOuLWM083…

It is hosted by Vanessa Lee, and along with the performances of his songs, there are interviews with his original singers, though they do not sing or act in this one. Anyway, aside from that wonderful surprise, there are two very interesting parts. The first is heard during the introduction. It consists of the voice of Novello himself. The second is a story told by Vanessa part-way through the performance. She mentioned a recording of Glamorous Night for the BBC, during which she and the other actors performed, but Ivor was at home, having pre-recordied his own material. Aside from being extremely entertaining, this anecdote gives several very important clues. First, this was done during the run of King's Rhapsody, putting the date between 1949 and his death in 1951. Secondly, not only was their dialogue, but it was made in two recordings (presumably, they recorded the actors performing live as well). Thirdly, this was on the radio, which, given the time, is to be expected.

My questions are two-fold.
1. Where did that introduction by Novello come from? I know the BBC had a horrible habbit of destroying things, but this was made in 1979, so I highly doubt they would have done so after that point, given his fame and the fact that he died in 1951.
2. Does the radio production of Glamorous Night exist, either in full or in part, and if so, where is it? Did anyone, by chance, record it? Some shows have actually been saved via reel-to-reel recordings made by listeners. If this does exist, it would be one of the most important discoveries in Novellian research, since it would be the closest we could come today to actually hearing the singing, and more importantly, the speaking performances of him and his original cast, minus Mary Ellis who had already left to do other things by this point. Other than the tiny clips on records, the only thing that even comes close is the other tribute I posted a few days ago, which I later learned contained several scenes from plays, along with music, again, by the originals!

youtube.com/watch?v=etB7t_ETqS…

If anyone knows of other recordings of his plays with dialogue, even modern ones, please let me know. They are extremely rare.

#BBC #GlamorousNight #IvorNovello #radio #theatre #VanessaLee

(This is a companion piece to my dating post, but here, I am strictly seeking friends. Therefore, the beginning will look similar.)
Hello. I live in New Jersey and am forty years old. Some of my interests include studying dandyism, nineteenth-century grammar, Received Pronunciation, and the Regency. I like coffees, teas, and nasal snuffs, and enjoy cooking, reading British literature, watching nature and historical documentaries, gardening, crafts, and playing cards and dice. I like Baroque through Classical and a bit of early Romantic music. I love theatre (especially Regency plays, English and Viennese operettas, and Edwardian musical comedies). I prefer antique menswear and accessories (no feminine clothing). I love wit, wordplay, and dry humour without vulgarity. I am happily childfree and am not religious. I respect those who are, as long as they don't try to convert me or base their lives around it. I also have no time for mind games, drama, or political correctness/sugar coating. I have been totally blind since I was two months old, due to Retinopathy of Prematurity.

I am seeking friends, either online or off, though offline would be ideal, so we can meet and do things together. I don't care about your sex or sexual orientation, but I would prefer friends no younger than twenty-one. I tend to get along with those who are older than I, since we usually have more in common, but it's not a requirement. I am blind, but it's not the focal point of my life. Still, it does mean that I can't drive. I really don't have any understanding of chronic illness, anxiety, depression, loneliness, etc. so if you need someone who could help you through that on a personal level, I'm not the one you're seeking. I also have no children and tend to avoid them, though I am polite when meeting them. I love cats, so if you have any, I would love to meet them or hear about them. I also enjoy hearing about cooking or gardening adventures, antiques, etc. and I love learning about interesting lives. If we do meet, I need to get to know you a bit first.

#friendship #friends #fun #men #NewJersey #women

I miss the wonderful cat stories on Facebook, particularly the Larry The Downing Street Cat for Prime Minister ones. I know that is a very special group, and nothing can ever replace it, but I would love to hear about your cats and the funny things they do. I am blind, so I can't see pictures, but descriptions help. Also, if anyone here writes as a cat, or even a dog or other pet, feel free to add me or comment.

#animals #birds #cats #Caturday #dogs #funny #hamsters #mice #pets #stories

How do I turn off the political posts in my Home timeline? Is there a way for me to hide them, or at least, certain conversations so that I don't have to see them?

#accessibility #filter #friendica #timeline #Tweesecake

I followed the Social Media feed from Newsmast. Now, I wish to unfollow them, but I can't figure out how to do it. I tried "Unfollow" on Tweesecake and also went to the page of the feed, but I keep seeing posts from them on my Home timeline (not the Federated one). I usually don't mind seeing such things in my timeline. I love the Food and Wine one, for example. It's just that this one is going a bit mad at the moment. I may follow it again at some point, or even check it.

#accessibility #Friendica #Newsmast #Tweesecake

I really love Tweesecake. The more I use it, the more wonderful things I learn about it. I am now able to view my Local Friendica.world timeline, Home (which is basically the people whom I follow), the Federated Timeline, my Favourites/Likes, my mentions (when people Mention me), etc. all in one place! Everything is customisable, too! I only wish they made a 32-bit version, so that I could use it on all of my machines, both physical and virtual. Still, as long as I can use it on one, it's good, since I can just use NVDA Remote to access it with another. Oh, and it doesn't try to insert nonsense when I write tags! I hate when I write in text fields and receive suggestions.

tweesecake.app/

#accessibility #blind #blindness #friendica #NVDA #Tweesecake #Windows