Sincerely Noel (Crazy Coqs)
Having become a household name by employing his gifts as an impressionist, Alistair McGowan has gone to great pains since to remind us that he was, is, first and foremost an actor/singer, with appearances in Pygmalion, Cabaret and Little Shop of Horrors, amongst many others. He is/has also been a stand-up comedian, TV presenter, sports commentator, voice-over artist, playwright, journalist and poet. He probably cooks a damn fine filet mignon as well.
There are so many strings to his bow that you would hardly think he had time to devise a show with his wife, singer Charlotte Page, based on the works of Noel Coward. Here it is, in the intimate but glitzy space that is Crazy Coqs, and it seems far better suited here than in the cavernous Cadogan Hall, where it was seen in 2011.
They have cleverly interspersed well-known Coward songs – though by no means the most well-known – with some poems and prose by the Master; there is a neat continuity between them that creates a sense of period upper-class English behaviour in almost documentary style. Some songs are given a surprising new twist, such as "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" as a dialogue between an angry and humourless German couple, but by and large the songs are delivered straight, and feelingly.
They are mostly delivered by Page, and her vocal clarity is a joy on the ear. In fact, it often seems as if this is her show, ably supported by McGowan. She also comes into her own in items such as "Social Grace", where a Joyce Grenfell-like fan of the Master doesn't let him get a word in edgeways. The bulk of the material is melancholic, gentle, humorous and acutely observed, though one could have wished for a bit more showmanship from McGowan; it sometimes seems as if he is fighting shy of overshadowing his leading lady (not that there is any concern in that department).
There is a glimmer of a bit more fun when he launches into "There Are Bad Times Just Around the Corner" in the voice of William Hague, but perhaps this should have been updated since Hague's stepping down as Foreign Secretary. That is the sum total of the impressions, and the person next to me was momentarily enlivened, clearly hoping for more. But the closest he got was McGowan’s adoption of a clipped, Coward-like voice for the balcony scene from Private Lives.
The scene is beautifully rendered, but the highlight of the evening is the lengthy piece "Not Yet The Dodo", in which a baffled general and his genteel wife are at first subjected to, and then accepting of, their son's homosexuality. It has subtlety, precision, and perfect timing. It captures the characters as skilfully as if written as a play. Teamwork of the highest calibre.
Sincerely Noel continues at Crazy Coqs until 13 September
