Description:

Noël Coward
various, ca. 1922-1960
Noël Coward Archive: 2 ALSs to Edna Ferber, Plus Hand-Annotated Scarce Manuscript of Little-Known Coward Comedy "The Better Half"
Archive
A literary and theatrical archive of tremendous value: a pair of autograph letters signed by British playwright Noël Coward (1899-1973) addressed to American novelist Edna Ferber; along with a hand-annotated and scarce (probably less than three known copies) of a typed manuscript of Coward's one-act comedy from the early 1920s, "The Better Half." Ca. 1922-1960. Various places. Featuring a total of three signatures: as "Noël" in the first ALS; as "COVARR" in the second ALS; and as "Noel C" on the manuscript envelope. Individual condition issues will be mentioned below, but is otherwise very good. The manuscript measures 7.5" x 9.5" x .25."

The lot is comprised of:

1. A 5pp autograph letter signed by Noël Coward as "Noël" at the conclusion. September 29, 1931. [London, England.] Inscribed on three pages of watermarked pale blue stationery paper with "Alfred House, / (Nursing Home) / 7, Portland Place, / W.I." embossed letterhead. Expected wear including flattened transmittal folds and a few extra wrinkles. A cross-out on the last page verso. Else near fine. 6" x 8."

Addressed to "Ferber my little darling," his friend and fellow writer Edna Ferber (1885-1968), the letter discusses Coward's West End production of "Theatre Royal," a play originally written by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber and performed on Broadway under the title "The Royal Family" from 1927-28. Coward's cast included Marie Tempest as Fanny Cavendish, Madge Titheradge as Julie Cavendish, and Laurence Olivier as Tony Cavendish. "Theatre Royal" ran 24 performances from October 1–20, 1934 in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Manchester before staying at the Lyric Theatre from October 23 – December 23, 1934.

Coward discusses Laurence Olivier and Brian Aherne: "Larry Olivier is playing Tony for the 1st two weeks on the road + is marvelous - then Brian Aherne takes over for London…" Aherne never did take over. Olivier stayed in the role for two months in London before he broke his ankle. Aherne played Mercutio on Broadway in "Romeo and Juliet" and stared in two films that year.

Coward continued: "I think you'd be delighted with the whole cast with one notable exception + that is W. Graham Browne as Oscar Wolfe who, owing to being very old indeed + unable to act at all… This unfortunately is absolutely unavoidable as Marie Tempest will not appear without him + she is beyond words superb as Fanny. She gives every comedy line its full value + is deeply moving in the tragic scenes. Madge Titheradge is magnificent as Julie + the end of the second Act is pretty God-damned exciting… I think you and George would be pleased with the whole performance + production… please I tell you, Miss Ferber + dear Mr. Kaufman, that I think 'The Royal Family' ('Theatre Royal') is one of the most superbly written + brilliantly constructed plays I have ever had anything to do with…"

2. A 1p autograph letter signed by Noel Coward as "COVARR" at the conclusion. N.d. but pencil-written "9/5/60" verso. [Les Avants, Switzerland.] On stationery with "Les Avants sur Montreux" embossed letterhead. Expected wear including flattened transmittal folds and a few gentle wrinkles. Else near fine. 5.75" x 8.125."

Coward addresses this letter to "Darling Ferb" and discusses an upcoming surgery and general musings.

3. Noël Coward, 25pp of the typescript for the stage play "The Better Half," comprised of 24 numbered sheets plus the cover page, hand-annotated by Coward and possibly other editors. [1922, London?] The bundle of pages has been folded in half vertically. The extremities show some wear including chipped edges and loss, primarily on the cover sheet and pages 23 and 24. Paperclip rust marks are present along the upper edge. The sheets are housed in a cut-open envelope (never mailed) inscribed by Coward as: "M.S.S. of The Better Half by Noel C." (Notably, the "oward" of Coward's name has been written in blue ink rather than black, and is probably in a different hand.) The stacked pages measures 7.5" x 9.5" x .25."

2 pages (8, 21) have pencil changes and 11 pages (11, 12, 15-23) have pen changes in Coward's hand. Many of the changes are minor, either correcting grammar or punctuation, but the second half in particular has dozens of more significant changes. This copy appears to have been based on the copy submitted to the Lord Chamberlain, but adjusted for formatting and with substantial edits. It is unknown if this version would have been resubmitted to the Lord Chamberlain or if it was ever performed in this format. It is possible that these changes were considered minor enough to not require additional censorship; that they were done after the play was performed; or even that was a working copy that belonged to an actor. It would definitely benefit from further scholarly research.

"The Better Half" is a one-act play by Noël Coward first performed in 1922 by the Grand Guignol theatre company and directed by Lewis Casson. It was thought to be lost until the original script was found in the British Library in 2007. Professor Mike Wilson, who together with Professor Richard Hand discovered the script in the Lord Chamberlain's archive at the British Library, said in 2007: "We spoke to the Noël Coward estate and they thought it was the only copy in existence. It is only a short play and was written two years before he wrote 'The Vortex' and before he became famous." (BBC News, 13 September 2007). Subsequent to the 2007 discovery, the University of Birmingham identified a second copy that currently resides with them. Discussions with the Noël Coward Archive Trust and an exhaustive search of library and museum holdings lead us to believe this is the third currently known copy.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: typed manuscript: 7.5" x 9.5" x .25"
  • Medium: Archive

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