Noël Coward’s forgotten musical Ace Of Clubs revived sixty years after premiere

 
Stage revival: cast members of Noel Coward's Ace of Clubs at the Union Theatre (Picture: Alex Lentati)
Alex Lentati
The Weekender

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A director who is staging the first professional London revival of a Noël Coward musical since its premiere believes it was forgotten because it was not what audiences expected.

Jack Thorpe Baker, 24, said Ace Of Clubs had more in common with shows such as Guys And Dolls, also staged for the first time in 1950, than Coward’s upper-class comedies.

The musical, set in a Soho nightclub, is about a singer, Pinkie Leroy, who falls for a sailor, Harry Hornby. True love is placed in jeopardy when they get mixed up with gangsters.

Thorpe Baker said: “It feels like a 1950 audience, who were used to Noël Coward’s shows poking fun at upper-class families, wasn’t prepared for a musical about East End gangsters, brassy chorus girls and singing sailors.”

Many of its songs, such as Sail Away and I Like America became part of Coward’s cabaret repertoire. The original London cast included June Whitfield and Vivien Merchant. The new production at The Union Theatre stars Gary Wood as Harry and runs until May 31.

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