High Spirits (musical): Difference between revisions

Coward also directed the [[West End theatre|West End]] production, which opened in November 1964 at the [[Savoy Theatre]], where it ran for 93 performances. The cast included [[Denis Quilley]] as Charles, Marti Stevens as Elvira, [[Jan Waters]] as Ruth, and [[Cicely Courtneidge]] as Madame Arcati.<ref>[http://www.musical-theatre.net/html/recordcabinet/highspirits.html "London production"], musical-theatre.net</ref> A London cast album was released by [[Pye Records]], for whom Coward himself also recorded four numbers from the show: "Something Tells Me", "If I Gave You", "Forever and a Day", and "Home Sweet Heaven".<ref>Reissued on LP on DRG SL 5180 in 1978</ref>In 1964, Courtneidge accepted the role of Madame Arcati in the London production of ''High Spirits]]. This was an unhappy episode in her career. Coward himself co-directed, and the two clashed constantly in rehearsal.{{#tag:ref|Courtneidge later said, "Everyone ''does'' adore him – me included – but he's ''hell'' to work with, and I never want to do anything else with him. I'd have to be starving, I really would."<ref>Castle, p. 247</ref> After the opening night, Coward wrote in his diary, "Cis also got some well-deserved cracks for vulgarizing Madame Arcati, and serve her bloody well right."<ref>Coward, p. 579</ref>|group= n}} The notices for the piece were dreadful, and those for Courtneidge's performance scarcely better: ''The Guardian'' wrote of "a woeful excess of underplay",<ref>Nightingale, Benedict. "High Spirits", ''The Guardian'', 21 October 1964, p. 9</ref> and ''The Observer'' commented, "The sight of Cicely Courtneidge hamming it until she drops in purple harem knickers with diamanté cycle clips isn't honestly hilarious enough to carry the evening."<ref>Gilliatt, Penelope. "Back to the big stuff", ''The Observer'', 8 November 1964, p. 25</ref>

[[42nd Street Moon]] (in San Francisco, California) presented a staged concert version of the musical in March and April 2009.<ref>[http://www.42ndstmoon.com/42newweb/season/season08-09.htm "2008-09 Season"], 42ndstmoon.com</ref>