""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

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.

For those who would like to know more about me, this is my journal. Anyone can read or comment, whether or not he is a member.

dandylover1.dreamwidth.org

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

Georgiana Brummell

2024-11-16 02:39:41

I wanted to add tags such as cards, classical music, fashion, gardening, Regency, theatre, etc. but I don't want to abuse them, because while I am seeking a man who likes these things, my post isn't really about them. Perhaps, a veteran Friendica or Fediverse user could instruct me in this.

Hello. I live in New Jersey and am forty-one years old. I am seeking a man over sixty who is well-dressed, well-spoken, confident, and witty. You can be either straight or bisexual. You should enjoy the finer things in life, but you need not be rich. I have no interest in bdsm, role-playing, etc. I simply adore the voices and bodies of older men. That said, I do love it soft down there and enjoy bedroom fun. I would prefer you to either live in or near New Jersey, or to be able to visit me frequently. No one-night stands, parents or men who want children, caregivers, workaholics, or recreational drug users. I am open to both fun with no strings attached, and a committed relationship, but I must get to know you first.

Some of my interests include studying dandyism, nineteenth-century grammar, Upper Received Pronunciation, British history, and the Regency. I like coffee, tea, wine, nasal snuff, cooking, hot baths, reading British literature, watching nature and historical documentaries, gardening, hot weather, and playing cards and dice. I also love cats. In classical music, I enjoy Baroque through a bit of early Romantic, while in popular, I usually prefer 1950's through 1970's. I love theatre (especially English and Viennese operettas, Edwardian musical comedies), and some Regency/Georgian plays. I prefer antique menswear and accessories (no feminine clothing). It's my dream to either buy a genuine Edwardian suit or have one commissioned. I love wit, wordplay, and dry humour without vulgarity. I am happily childfree, am not religious, and speak my mind. I have been totally blind since I was two months old, due to Retinopathy of Prematurity.

This is truly ridiculous. In order to post here, I have to use Semaphore, TWBlue or Pachli, because I can't figure out how to do it on the main site. I know I did it a few times, but it's very difficult to find and is not available as and immediate edit box. In order to read my own posts, I have to go to the main site or Pachli, because I can't do it on Semaphore or TWBlue. (Note. I figured out how to red them but can't reply on Semaphore, since there is no edit box.) So I basically have to use several sites plus an app (I almost never use apps for any websites) just to be able to use Friendica. I specifically left Facebook due to inaccessibility! Even with this mess, it's still not as horrible as there, but It would be nice to have one site where I could do it all, like on Dreamwidth, or at least one Windows client that would allow me to do everything, without having to resort to using my phone! Tweesecake was nice the few times it worked, but now, no matter what I do, I can't even get it to load. It says something about configuring and then disappears! Enafore is supposed to allow me to edit my posts, but I have no idea how to do that since there is no normal edit link or button, and half the time, when I go to my page, the edit box for me to type in isn't even there! Semaphore inserts rubbish when I'm trying to write tags, so that I have to write everything in Notepad and paste it in.

#accessibility #Android #apps #blind #clients #Dreamwidth #Facebook #friendica #twblue #Tweesecake #Windows

Perplexity just gave me a list of Viennese operettas that have been translated into English! Several are from Johann Strauss, whom I've been wanting to hear anyway, and I even found two more by Franz Lehar! I already knew about and had The Merry Widow and Die Fledermaus. The first I watched ((but still need to watch the Christopher Hassall translation) and the second I was actually planning to watch tomorrow. This is the full list as it was given to me.

"1. The Gypsy Baron (Der Zigeunerbaron) by Johann Strauss II
2. A Night in Venice (Eine Nacht in Venedig) by Johann Strauss II
3. The Queen's Lace Handkerchief (Das Spitzentuch der Königin) by Johann Strauss II
4. Wiener Blut (Vienna Blood) by Johann Strauss II
5. The Circus Princess (Die Zirkusprinzessin) by Emmerich Kálmán
6. Countess Maritza (Gräfin Mariza) by Emmerich Kálmán
7. The Csárdás Princess (Die Csárdásfürstin) by Emmerich Kálmán
8. The Land of Smiles (Das Land des Lächelns) by Franz Lehár
9. The Count of Luxembourg (Der Graf von Luxemburg) by Franz Lehár
10. Giuditta by Franz Lehár"

I also have Countess Maritza, and The Land of Smiles, but I didn't watch them yet, and silly me, I didn't realise they're Viennese! Of course, it may be difficult to find all of these, , and even more so to find translations that haven't been modernised (I avoid those as much as possible), but at least, I have somewhere to start!

#EmmerichKalman #FranzLehar #operettas #JohannStrauss #theatre