Every day brings a new story. And each day contributes to the art of story telling -- in prose and poetry, in music, on the stage, on the screen, and, of course, in books.
Today is the story of December 16th.
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It is the 350th day of the year, leaving 15 days in 2021.
Coward was a polymath, a gentleman, and an expansive story teller. Best know as a playwright and for his dashing, yet dry wit, he also was a composer, musician, singer, actor, and dancer.
He began his career on stage as a dancer at the tender age of 11. By the next year he was acting regularly, and had written his first play, I'll Leave it to You, at age 20.
He continued to write light comedies, but in 1924, his first serious play, The Vortex. cemented his reputation as a writer to be reckoned with. He entered high society, which he took to with great enthusiasm, and in which he set many of his most popular plays and musicals.
Time magazine said his personal style was a "combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise." Britannica said Coward "caught the clipped speech and brittle disillusions of the generation that emerged from World War I. His songs and revue sketches also struck the world-weary note of his times."
He wrote many plays retelling British history, and during World War II distinguished himself by churning out information on the British war effort.
Many of his shows continue to be revived and staged. In 2006, the refurbished and renamed Noël Coward Theatre reopened in London's West End Theater District.
Coward died in 1973 at his home in Jamaica.
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