We Were Dancing. Photo credit: Ian Jackson
We Were Dancing: Two Short Plays by Noel Coward
August 13 – 16, 18 – 20 at Venue #12: The Varscona Theatre
An interview with Belinda Cornish.
Describe your show in five words.
Two sparklingly saucy little gems.
Okay, now that we’re intrigued… what’s the longer description?
In “We Were Dancing”, Louise and Karl have fallen in love at a party, much to the chagrin of Louise’s very patient husband, and his incandescent sister.
In “Ways and Means”, Toby and Stella must find a way to pay their casino debts whilst keeping up appearances for the wealthy in-crowd along the Riviera.
We Were Dancing is a double bill consisting of We Were Dancing and Ways and Means. Why did you want to present these plays together?
Ways & Means and We Were Dancing are both from a collection of short plays by Noel Coward called “Tonight at 8:30”, and are crackling little bite-sized examples of his work which, when played together, contrast each other perfectly, and are an ideal length for fringe show fare!
What drew you to these two particular plays by Noel Coward?
I chose these two plays because they are sharp, funny little morsels of life. The characters are witty, eccentric and debonair – they deal with the extraordinary situations in which they find themselves with biting graciousness, they handle panic with poise, they are the ultimate example of high society behaving badly and getting away with it by virtue of their brilliant charm.
For those audience members who haven’t seen a Noel Coward play before, how would you describe Coward’s style and what about it delights audiences?
If you’ve never seen a Noel Coward play before – you must! There is a reason he was called The Master. He was one of the most brilliantly funny writers the world has ever known, with a sparkling and incredibly wicked turn of wit, and yet his plays always have a warm beating heart at their core. Not to mention that these two pieces are being performed by a truly spectacular cast, giving a succession of exceptional and hilarious performances. Don’t miss it, for heaven’s sake!
The 35th Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival is August 11 – 21. Get your tickets at tickets.fringetheatre.ca.