A NAUTICAL musical comedy based on one of Noel Coward’s finest pieces of light verse will take to the stage at Bretforton Theatrebarn on September 6 as part of the Evesham Festival of Words.
Coward at Sea is a rare opportunity to see a one-man show performed by Michael Lunts based on his comedic poem P&O 1930 which vividly details a long voyage that the playwright and composer took from the Far East to Britain in the same year.
The audience is invited to come aboard the SS Madeira and relive in his own words and songs, the historic journey home, when a voyage took weeks rather than hours and enabled the passengers to get up to all sorts of antics en route.
The show vividly describes a specific P&O (Peninsular and Oriental) steamship voyage from the Far East back to England in 1930.
The show captures the overall atmosphere of a lengthy sea voyage in the 1930s and features Coward’s trademark witty observations and satirical humour.
The great man himself was inveterate traveller and some of his most famous songs such as Mad Dogs and Englishmen, and Why do the Wrong People Travel were written whilst abroad.
Festival organiser, Sue Ablett said “Michael first performed this play for us in 2016, year one of the festival and we’re thrilled to have him back to do it again this year. He is a wonderful actor and pianist.”
Michael has performed a number of times for the festival over the years and last year starred in The Enigma of Edward Elgar.
He told the Observer: “I’m really looking forward to returning to the festival and Bretforton Theatrebarn in particular, as I appeared there on numerous occasions in my very first years of touring my own shows.
“This under its previous owners, now alas no longer alive, but they had a particular love of Noel Coward’s work so I’m sure they would approve of my bringing ‘Coward at Sea’ to this very special venue.
“I’d strongly recommend a visit.”
The performance runs Saturday, September 6 at 7pm, Bretforton Theatrebarn. Note that there is no disabled access to the venue with steep steps to the theatre.
Visit eveshamfestivalofwords.org/event/coward-at-sea/ for tickets.
