Set to Music
Encyclopedia
Set to Music is a musical
revue
with sketches, music and lyrics by Noël Coward
.
Produced by John C. Wilson
, the Broadway
production opened on January 15, 1939 at the Music Box Theatre
, where it ran for 129 performances. Directed by Coward, the revue starred Beatrice Lillie
.
This show originated in 1932 under the title of Words and Music
, with a London production at the Adelphi Theatre
. It consisted of a series of sketches, some with songs. Seven years later, it was revised for Broadway as Set to Music. The song "Mad Dogs and Englishmen
", one of Coward's best-known songs, was dropped, and four new songs were added. The sketches included "A Fragonard
Impression", and "Midnight Matinée".
song "My Heart Belongs to Daddy". Playing an actress who becomes progressively drunker, Lillie sang "I Went to a Marvellous Party". Lillie played Mrs. John Illsworth-Poindexter in the sketch "Madame Dines Alone", leading into the song "Never Again".
Lillie was The Countess in a railway station with Sarah Burton, Kenneth Carton, Victor Cutrar, Ray Dennis, Sanders Draper, Hugh French, Gladys Henson
, Robert Shackelton, and Gilbert Wilson in "Secret Service."
Richard Haydn appeared as Edwin Carp, a fish mimic in a mad vaudeville act ("Fish Mimicry").
‡ this number was not included in Words and Music
The Noël Coward Society's website, drawing on performing statistics from the publishers and the Performing Rights Society, names "Mad About the Boy" as Coward's most popular song. "The Stately Homes of England" (originally from Coward's Operette
) was also among the top ten most performed Coward songs. "The Party's Over Now" and "...Marvellous Party" rank in the top thirty Coward songs.
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
with sketches, music and lyrics by Noël Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
.
Produced by John C. Wilson
John C. Wilson
John C. Wilson was an American theatre director and producer.-Early life:Born in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Wilson started out his working life as a stockbroker.-Career:...
, the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production opened on January 15, 1939 at the Music Box Theatre
Music Box Theatre
The Music Box Theater is a Broadway theatre located at 239 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan.The once most aptly named theater on Broadway, the intimate Music Box was designed by architect C. Howard Crane and constructed by composer Irving Berlin and producer Sam H. Harris specifically to...
, where it ran for 129 performances. Directed by Coward, the revue starred Beatrice Lillie
Beatrice Lillie
Beatrice Gladys "Bea" Lillie was an actress and comedic performer. Following her 1920 marriage to Sir Robert Peel in England, she was known in private life as Lady Peel.-Early career:...
.
This show originated in 1932 under the title of Words and Music
Words and Music (musical)
Words and Music is a musical revue with sketches, music, lyrics and direction by Noël Coward. The revue introduced the song "Mad About the Boy", which, according to The Noël Coward Society's website, is Coward's most popular song...
, with a London production at the Adelphi Theatre
Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre is a 1500-seat West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiving house for a variety of productions, including many musicals...
. It consisted of a series of sketches, some with songs. Seven years later, it was revised for Broadway as Set to Music. The song "Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Mad Dogs and Englishmen (song)
"Mad Dogs and Englishmen" is a song written by Noël Coward and first performed in The Third Little Show at the Music Box Theatre, New York, on 1 June 1931, by Beatrice Lillie. The following year it was used in the revue Words and Music and also released in a "studio version"...
", one of Coward's best-known songs, was dropped, and four new songs were added. The sketches included "A Fragonard
Jean-Honoré Fragonard
Jean-Honoré Fragonard was a French painter and printmaker whose late Rococo manner was distinguished by remarkable facility, exuberance, and hedonism. One of the most prolific artists active in the last decades of the Ancien Régime, Fragonard produced more than 550 paintings , of which only five...
Impression", and "Midnight Matinée".
Sketches
Lillie sang a parody about being a successful singer in "Rug of Persia" while "weaving an oriental arras." The song ends with a reference to the popular Cole PorterCole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
song "My Heart Belongs to Daddy". Playing an actress who becomes progressively drunker, Lillie sang "I Went to a Marvellous Party". Lillie played Mrs. John Illsworth-Poindexter in the sketch "Madame Dines Alone", leading into the song "Never Again".
Lillie was The Countess in a railway station with Sarah Burton, Kenneth Carton, Victor Cutrar, Ray Dennis, Sanders Draper, Hugh French, Gladys Henson
Gladys Henson
Gladys Henson was a British actress whose career lasted from 1932 to 1976 and included roles on stage, radio, films and television series...
, Robert Shackelton, and Gilbert Wilson in "Secret Service."
Richard Haydn appeared as Edwin Carp, a fish mimic in a mad vaudeville act ("Fish Mimicry").
Songs
- The Stately Homes of England (from OperetteOperette (musical)Operette is a musical in two acts composed, written and produced by Noël Coward. The show is a period piece, set in the year 1906 at the fictional "Jubilee" theatre. The story concerns an ageing Viennese operetta star, who warns the young ingenue not to marry a nobleman.The piece premiered in 1938...
) - Kenneth Carton, Hugh French, Angus Menzies, Anthony Pelissier - Never Again
- The Party's Over Now
- Three Little Débutantes
- Mad About the BoyMad About the BoyDinah Washington's 1952 recording of "Mad about the Boy" is possibly the most widely known version of the song in modern times. The 6/8-time arrangement for voice and jazz orchestra by Quincy Jones omits two verses and was recorded in the singer's native Chicago on the Mercury label.Washington's...
- Beatrice Lillie (as a schoolgirl), Laura Duncan (A Girl of the Town), Gladys Henson (A Housemaid), Moya Nugent (School Girl's Younger Sister), Rosemary Lomax (Society Woman's Friend) - I Went to a Marvellous PartyI Went to a Marvellous Party"I Went to a Marvellous Party" is a song with words and music by Noël Coward, written in 1938, and included in the review Set to Music. Although a melody exists, the text is most often recited over a piano accompaniment...
‡ - Beatrice Lillie - Children of the Ritz
- (I'm So) Weary of It All ‡ - Beatrice Lillie (as Marion Day), Ray Dennis
- Rug of Persia ‡ - Beatrice Lillie
- Three White Feathers ‡ - Beatrice Lillie
‡ this number was not included in Words and Music
The Noël Coward Society's website, drawing on performing statistics from the publishers and the Performing Rights Society, names "Mad About the Boy" as Coward's most popular song. "The Stately Homes of England" (originally from Coward's Operette
Operette (musical)
Operette is a musical in two acts composed, written and produced by Noël Coward. The show is a period piece, set in the year 1906 at the fictional "Jubilee" theatre. The story concerns an ageing Viennese operetta star, who warns the young ingenue not to marry a nobleman.The piece premiered in 1938...
) was also among the top ten most performed Coward songs. "The Party's Over Now" and "...Marvellous Party" rank in the top thirty Coward songs.
External links
- Set to Music at the Internet Broadway Database
- Sold on Song bbc.co.uk, accessed January 6, 2009