'Oh Coward' revels in the music and the man
Don't be surprised if you find yourself quoting to friends the title of Noël Coward's song "I Went to a Marvelous Party" after attending Writers' Theatre's "Oh Coward!"
This smashing song revue, which originated off-Broadway in 1972, is a merry montage of wit and sophistication when it comes to "The Master" (the unofficial moniker that friends and fans bestowed on this British entertainer whose multiple careers as a poet, playwright, performer and British spy continue to wow beyond his 20th century lifetime).
But this crystal-clear distillation of Coward's songwriting genius wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable if the assembled "Oh Coward!" party planners weren't so highly polished and professional. As the first musical presented in Writers' Theatre's intimate backroom space at Books on Vernon, "Oh Coward!" definitely delivers on each song's potential - and then some.
Director Jim Corti has astutely cast his production with a visually and aurally attractive trio, each embodying the posh cynicism and playfulness of Britain's idle classes circa 1930. Kate Fry, Rob Lindley and John Sanders (each backed by the sublime piano playing of music director Doug Peck) prove to be heavenly performers at what sometimes appears to be a celestial cocktail party.
Each performer revels in revealing all the subtleties and nuances of Coward's lilting tunes and sometimes naughty lyrics (the saga of how "Uncle Harry" falls from grace as a Christian missionary is particularly hilarious). Coward's ability to be comically cutting can be heard in songs like "The Stately Homes of England," "Why Do the Wrong People Travel?" and the opening number, "Bright Young Things" (a demographic that definitely applies to the cast itself).
Taking a page from "Design for Living," Coward's 1932 comedy of bohemian artists in a bisexual love triangle, Corti doesn't shy away from Coward's own hiding-in-plain-view sexuality as an effete gay man (Songs like "I'll Follow My Secret Heart" and "Mad About the Boy" are clear examples).
Watching the men sometimes sneaking gazes at each other (and watching Fry's slightly knowing reaction at all this business) gives this plotless revue a charged tension throughout and provides a hint of how complicated life might have been in Britain for Coward and his kind since the country's laws against homosexuality weren't repealed until 1967 - only six years before Coward's death in 1973.
Sometimes this openness is apparent when all three dance together as a trio in the song "A Room with a View," but other times it's so subtle that if you blink, you'll miss it.
If Books on Vernon ever wants to raise extra income by renting out its cozy backroom space for parties and receptions, then they might as well keep up Kevin Depinet's simple art-deco set done up in elegant silvers and blacks. And if more people had the lithe figures of the cast, they would definitely want to own Rachel Anne Healy's elegant and luxurious costumes that run from special-occasion dinner jackets to glamorous evening gowns.
The only thing lacking in "Oh Coward!" is more hard facts in the script about the title man himself. The late actor/playwright Roderick Cook debuted the show during Coward's lifetime when many more people knew of him as an aging celebrity. So it couldn't hurt to have more information and other bits of trivia to help fill in younger generations on why Coward was such a remarkable and multitalented man.
Some might also find the show far too short, which isn't really a complaint since what is already on display in "Oh Coward!" is so superlative and special. Go now before you miss out on hearing the cast conclude the show by crooning the song "The Party's Over Now." "Oh Coward!" is one party you definitely should make a date for.
"Oh Coward!"
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½
Location: Writers' Theatre at Books on Vernon, 664 Vernon Ave., Glencoe, (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org
Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 4 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 and 6 p.m. Sundays
Running time: One hour, 30 minutes, with intermission
Tickets: $40-$60
Parking: On street
Rating: For grown-ups