Semi-Monde
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Semi-Monde is a play written by Noël Coward in 1926, but not produced until 1977. Set in the foyer, lounge and bars of a grand Paris hotel, the play follows the lives of a variety of socialites over a three-year period from 1925. It is notable among works of the period for its prominent treatment of sexuality, both straight and gay.
Original cast
Coward wrote the play during a long American tour starring in his play The Vortex. The piece is set in the public rooms of a grand hotel in Paris over a period of three years. In the published text the hotel is unnamed, but Coward said it was based on the Ritz and originally titled the play Ritz Bar;[1] the Ritz in Paris, like its namesake in London, had a bar known for its homosexual clientele.[2]
The author said of the play a decade after he wrote it, "It was well constructed and, on the whole, well written", but added that its production in London or New York had seemed unlikely "as some of the characters, owing to lightly suggested abnormalities, would certainly be deleted by the censor".[1] Basil Dean announced plans to produce the work in the US, but this failed to materialise.[3] The German producer Max Reinhardt expressed interest in the play, which was translated into German. His planned production never reached the stage, and, as Coward put it, "eventually Vicki Baum wrote Grand Hotel, and Semi-Monde, being too closely similar in theme, faded gently into oblivion".[1]
Semi-Monde, was first produced on 11 September 1977 by the Glasgow Citizens Theatre, directed by Philip Prowse. The production ran for 21 performances.[4]
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Since 1977 there have been amateur and student productions, and a one-off charity gala performance was given at the Royalty Theatre, London in 1987, by a cast including Judi Dench, Adam Faith, Patricia Hodge, Evelyn Laye, Joanna Lumley, June Whitfield and Michael Williams.[5] The only full professional staging since the Glasgow premiere was at the Lyric Theatre, London, in 2001. Prowse again directed. The cast was headed by Nichola McAuliffe, John Carlisle, Sophie Ward, Ben Bates and Georgina Hale.[6]