Noel Coward
Birth Place: Teddington, ENGLAND
WHO WE BECOME to Return to New York With Lanford Wilson One-Acts (May 28, 2026)
Review: Noel Coward’s PRIVATE LIVES at STNJ-A Comedic Delight (May 26, 2026)
THIS WAS A MAN to Make NYC Return for First Time Since 1926 with Project Shaw (May 21, 2026)
BIO
Noel was an English playwright, composer, actor, producer and director. His plays include The Vortex (1924), Hay Fever (1925), Private Lives (1930), Blithe Spirit (1941), Present Laughter (1943) and This Happy Breed (1943). He produced, wrote, starred in and co-directed (with David Lean) the Academy Award-winning film In Which We Serve (1942) as well as writing the screenplay for one of the most beloved British films of all time, Brief Encounter (1945). He wrote many songs now considered classics, including "Mad About the Boy", "Mad Dogs and Englishmen", "I’ll See You Again" and "20th Century Blues" and in 1955 performed a sell-out cabaret season in Las Vegas. His musicals include Bitter Sweet (1929) and Sail Away (1961). As an actor he enjoyed memorable roles onstage in many of his plays as well as on film playing Hawthorne in Our Man In Havana (1959) and Mr Bridger in The Italian Job (1969). He was knighted in 1970.
Photos
STAGE CREDITS
Productions
Writing
Source Material
Source Material
Composer
Lyricist
Bookwriter/Composer/Lyricist
Composer
Composer
Lyricist
Bookwriter
Bookwriter/Composer/Lyricist
Lyricist
Composer
Lyricist
Composer/Lyricist
Composer
Conceiver
Bookwriter
Lyricist
Composer
Text
Lyricist
Music
Composer/Lyricist
Lyricist
Bookwriter
Bookwriter/Composer/Lyricist
Composer
Bookwriter
Lyricist
Lyricist
Bookwriter
Composer
Lyricist
Composer
Bookwriter
Composer
Movies
[ 1927 ] writer
[ 1928 ] writer
[ 1933 ] lyrics and music - as Noel Coward
[ 1933 ] writer
[ 1933 ] writer
[ 1933 ] writer
[ 1936 ] writer
[ 1942 ] writer
[ 1944 ] writer
[ 1945 ] writer
[ 1945 ] writer
[ 1959 ] Hawthorne
[ 1965 ] Horacio Wilson
[ 1967 ] writer
[ 1968 ] The Witch of Capri
[ 1968 ] writer
[ 1969 ] Mr. Bridger
[ 1987 ] writer
[ 2000 ] writer
[ 2008 ] writer
[ 2021 ] writer
Awards and Nominations
Noel Coward , High Spirits
Noel Coward, The Girl Who Came to Supper
winner
Noel Coward, Blithe Spirit
Videos
Video: CLUB CUMMING Trailer Previews New Docuseries About NYC Nightclub
by Josh Sharpe - 2026-03-09 13:34:34
Video: Alan Cumming Parodies A CHORUS LINE, LES MIZ & More at AARP Movies for Grownups Awards
by Josh Sharpe - 2026-03-09 11:27:36
Video: Watch Gavin Lee Join THE LION KING on Broadway as 'Scar'
by Michael Major - 2025-07-23 11:54:23
Video: Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney Star as Theater Performers in EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BE GREAT Trailer
by Josh Sharpe - 2025-05-01 12:26:24
Video: Emma Hatton Sings 'Secrets and Lies' From BERLUSCONI A NEW MUSICAL
by Chloe Rabinowitz - 2023-03-15 13:55:22
Video: Full Cast and Creative Team Announced for NEW YORK, NEW YORK; Plus Watch a New Trailer!
by Nicole Rosky - 2023-02-01 12:00:20
News
by A.A. Cristi - May 28, 2026
Deep Flight Productions will present an encore engagement of WHO WE BECOME, a program of rarely produced Lanford Wilson one-acts, at Factory Series at the Chain Studio Theatre in New York.
by Marina Kennedy - May 26, 2026
STNJ’s theme for this season is “Method and Madness,” and Private Lives is ideal to usher in the exciting season ahead.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 21, 2026
Gingold Theatrical Group will present Noël Coward's This Was a Man as part of its Project Shaw series, marking the play's first known New York presentation since its original premiere nearly 100 years ago.
by Marissa Faith Curley - May 17, 2026
The Museum of Broadway will host columnist, author, critic and playwright Peter Filichia in conversation with Stephen Cole about his new comic odyssey memoir, CAMELTON.
by Stephi Wild - May 8, 2026
ONCE IN A WHILE, a new British musical 43 years in the making, will receive its world premiere in semi-staged performances at the Union Theatre, Southwark, led by Greg Castiglioni and Jenny Perry.
by Stephi Wild - May 5, 2026
Mad Men star Bryan Batt will make his London stage debut as J. Edgar Hoover in HERE COMES J EDGAR!, a comedy musical written by Harry Shearer and Tom Leopold, at King's Head Theatre.
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 27, 2026
Judi Mark will return to The Laurie Beechman Theater with her show MERELY MARVELOUS: THE SONGS OF GWEN VERDON. The concert will highlight Gwen Verdon’s Broadway legacy with selections from her most notable musicals.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 24, 2026
English National Opera (ENO) will present Du Yun’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Angel’s Bone at the London Coliseum in October, following its UK premiere in Greater Manchester in May. See rehearsal photos here!
by Tina St. Angelo - Apr 18, 2026
What did our critic think of NOEL COWARD'S PRIVATE LIVES at BrightSide Theatre?
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 16, 2026
54 Below will welcome back two-time Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole, joined by her longtime music director Billy Stritch, for a special evening celebrating their 25-year friendship.
by Team BWW - Apr 16, 2026
Ready to see your next West End show? Of course you are! Let BroadwayWorld and Ticketmaster be your guide to which plays and musicals are the most buzz-worthy this week.
by R. Scott Reedy - Apr 14, 2026
Seven years ago, an already hot summer in Boston heated up even more during a pre-Broadway tryout of a truncated version of playwright Matthew Lombardo’s “Tea at Five” at the Huntington Theatre when its star, Academy Award winner Faye Dunaway, was fired after allegations that she physically and verbally assaulted crew members on the troubled production.
by Stephi Wild - Apr 13, 2026
The Orinda Starlight Village Players will stage Noel Coward's PRESENT LAUGHTER at the Orinda Community Center Park Amphitheatre, directed by Patrick Atkinson and starring Matt Cardigan-Smith.
by Peter Danish - Apr 9, 2026
Playwright Tom Duzick has had his works performed all over the world, which speaks to the universal appeal of his creations. He has a new production of one his most popular plays opening next week. He sat down to chat with BWW about it.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 6, 2026
David Gersten, Vice-President of ATPAM, the Association of Theatrical Press Agents & Managers (IATSE Local 18032), died on Monday, April 6 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.
by Stephi Wild - Apr 3, 2026
Florida Repertory Theatre raised $1,200,222 at its March 28 gala at the Caloosa Sound Convention Center, the highest total in the theatre's 28-year history, with over 300 guests attending.
by Josh Sharpe - Mar 9, 2026
A trailer has been released for Club Cumming, the new docuseries spotlighting Alan Cumming's New York City-based gay bar and nightclub of the same name. Watch it now.
by Josh Sharpe - Mar 9, 2026
Alan Cumming can't escape his musical theater roots! While hosting the 2026 AARP Movies for Grownups Awards in January, the Tony winner introduced each of the Best Film nominees with a medley of Broadway parodies. Watch it now.
by Stephi Wild - Mar 6, 2026
Initial casting has been announced for the world premiere of BANK OF DAVE THE MUSICAL which will open in May 2026 at Lowry and Curve respectively. Learn more here!
by A.A. Cristi - Mar 4, 2026
English National Opera has announced that Du Yun's Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Angel's Bone will open at the London Coliseum in October, following its UK premiere in Greater Manchester in May, marking a bold expression of ENO's dual-centre model. Angel's Bone opens at Aviva Studios, Manchester, home of Factory International, on 12 May 2026 before arriving at the London Coliseum on 16 October 2026.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Noel Coward has appeared on Broadway in 6 shows.
Noel Coward has not appeared in the West End
Noel Coward has been nominated for several awards throughout his career. He was nominated for Best Direction of a Musical at the Tony Awards for his work on "High Spirits." He was also nominated for Best Musical at the Tony Awards for "The Girl Who Came to Supper." In addition, Coward received a nomination for Best Foreign Play at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for his play "Blithe Spirit."
Noel Coward has won the Best Foreign Play award from the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for his play "Blithe Spirit".
Noel Coward has written 50 shows including London Calling (Composer/Lyricist), André Charlot's Revue of 1924 (Composer), On With the Dance (Composer/Lyricist), The Vortex (Playwright), Hay Fever (Playwright), Charlot Revue (Composer), Easy Virtue (Playwright), This Was a Man (Playwright), The Marquise (Playwright), Fallen Angels (Playwright), This Year of Grace (Bookwriter/Composer/Lyricist), Murray Anderson's Almanac (Bookwriter), Bitter Sweet (Bookwriter), Private Lives (Playwright), Cochran's 1931 Revue (Composer/Lyricist), Ziegfeld Follies of 1931 (Composer), Cavalcade (Bookwriter/Composer/Lyricist), The Young Idea (Playwright), Words and Music (Sketches/Composer/Lyricist), Conversation Piece (Bookwriter/Composer/Lyricist), Point Valaine (Playwright), Tonight at 8:30 (Bookwriter/Composer/Lyricist), Operette (Bookwriter/Composer/Lyricist), Set to Music (Bookwriter/Composer/Lyricist), Sigh No More (Sketches/Composer/Lyricist), Pacific 1860 (Bookwriter/Composer/Lyricist), Ace of Clubs (Bookwriter/Composer/Lyricist), After the Ball (Bookwriter/Composer/Lyricist), Quadrille (Playwright), Nude With Violin (Playwright), Look After Lulu (Playwright), Sail Away (Bookwriter/Composer/Lyricist), The Girl Who Came to Supper (Composer/Lyricist), High Spirits (Source Material), Noel Coward's Sweet Potato (Composer/Lyricist), Cowardy Custard (Composer/Lyricist), Hay Fever (Playwright), Noel (Composer/Lyricist), Oh Coward! (Composer/Lyricist), Barbara Cook: A Concert for the Theatre (Composer), If Love Were All (Composer/Lyricist), Waiting in the Wings (Playwright), A Suite in Two Keys (Playwright), Design For Living (Playwright), Elaine Stritch At Liberty (Composer), A Marvelous Party (Composer/Lyricist), Blithe Spirit (Playwright), Brief Encounter (Playwright), Volcano (Playwright), The Rat Trap (Playwright).
Videos
