Stage and screen acting royalty Judi Dench and Derek Jacobi are among the stars from both sides of the Atlantic who have recorded contributions to a special fundraising online celebration of the life and times of Noël Coward.
Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the legendary writer and actor’s West End debut as a 19-year-old playwright, A Marvellous Party will be the first event on Broadway’s new digital venue Stream.Theatre.
Presented by The Noël Coward Foundation, the online show will raise funds for theatre charities, Acting For Others in the UK and The Actors Fund in the US.
Featuring the words and music of Coward, the transatlantic event will also feature Kate Burton, Stephen Fry, Montego Glover, Josh James, Cush Jumbo, Robert Lindsay, Kristine Nielsen, Bebe Neuwirth, Julian Ovenden, Patricia Routledge, Kate Royal, Emma Thompson, Giles Terera, India Varma and Lia Williams.
All performers have either self-recorded their contributions at home or been filmed on location under Covid-19 regulations.
Commenting on the event, Alan Brodie, chair of the Noël Coward Foundation, said: “Noël Coward, a man of the theatre and one of the first transatlantic theatre celebrities, used his celebrity status to assist others. He galvanised his famous friends into raising considerable sums for charitable causes on both sides of the Atlantic and was also a Founder Member of The Combined Theatrical Charities, the predecessor organisation to Acting For Others.
“Noël would have been very distressed by the shutdowns of the West End, Broadway and theatres across the world resulting in hardship for so many. It is therefore imperative, on Noël’s behalf, to help those in need by collaborating with Acting For Others in the UK and the Actors Fund in the US demonstrating just how much his influence and legacy lives on 100 years from that first play. The performers have given their services for free and we are most grateful to them for offering their time and their talent to this important cause.”
To register free in advance to view the show on 20 September at 7.30pm BST/2.30pm EST, UK viewers should visit www.stream.theatre and US viewers should visit www.broadwayondemand.com. A Marvellous Party will be available on demand on both sites for 14 days. It will also be available on the official Noël Coward YouTube channel.
With funds raised being used to provide support for theatre workers hardest hit by the pandemic, viewers are asked to donate to:
Acting For Others at www.justgiving.com/campaign/amarvellousparty
and The Actors Fund at www.actorsfund.org/MarvelousParty
Angela Thomas
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