John C. Wilson (August 19, 1899 – October 29, 1961) was an American theatre director and producer.

Early life

Born in Trenton, New Jersey Wilson started out his working life as a stockbroker. He married Natalia Pavlovna Paley on September 8, 1937 in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was a marriage of convenience. Wilson was intelligent, rich and a good companion. Natalia's name and social skills were assets to his business as a Broadway producer. Princess Paley liked her husband's humor, and his homosexuality suited her distaste for physical love. They had no children.

Career

During the run of '' The Vortex'' by

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

in 1924, Wilson met Coward and soon became his business manager and lover. Wilson used his position to steal from Coward, but the playwright was in love and accepted both the larceny and Wilson's heavy drinking.Kenrick, John
"Noel Coward - Biographical Sketch - Part II"
Coward 101 at ''Musicals 101: The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film'', 2000, accessed 9 March 2009 Wilson began his theatre career in 1931 as General Manager for the original Broadway production of Coward's hit play '' Private Lives''. He began producing shows on Broadway in 1935, including Coward's ''

Tonight at 8.30 ''Tonight at 8.30'' is a cycle of ten one-act plays by Noël Coward, presented in London in 1936 and in New York in 1936–1937, with the author and Gertrude Lawrence in the leading roles. The plays are mostly comedies, but three, '' The Astoni ...

'' in 1936 and ''

Set to Music Set, The Set, SET or SETS may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Mathematics *Set (mathematics), a collection of elements *Category of sets, the category whose objects and morphisms are sets and total functions, respectively Electro ...

'' in 1939. Wilson's first project as a director was another Coward work, ''

Blithe Spirit Blithe Spirit may refer to: * ''Blithe Spirit'' (play), a 1941 comic play written by Noël Coward * ''Blithe Spirit'' (1945 film), a British comedy film based on the play * ''Blithe Spirit'' (2020 film), a British-American comedy film based on th ...

'', in 1941.

Additional credits

*1952: '' The Deep Blue Sea'' (Producer) *1951: '' Make a Wish'' (Director) *1950: ''

The Lady's Not for Burning ''The Lady's Not for Burning'' is a 1948 play by Christopher Fry. A romantic comedy in three acts, in verse, it is set in the Middle Ages ("1400, either more or less or exactly"). It reflects the world's "exhaustion and despair" following Worl ...

'' (Producer) *1949: '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (Director) *1948: '' Kiss Me, Kate'' (Director) *1947: '' The Winslow Boy'' (Producer) *1946: ''

Present Laughter ''Present Laughter'' is a comic play written by Noël Coward in 1939 but not produced until 1942 because the Second World War began while it was in rehearsal, and the British theatres closed. The title is drawn from a song in Shakespeare's ''T ...

'' (Producer and Director) *1945: ''

The Day Before Spring ''The Day Before Spring'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. Productions The 1945 touring production closed in Chicago after three days due to a crippling coal strike. The show then opened at the ...

'' (Producer and Director) *1944: ''

Bloomer Girl ''Bloomer Girl'' is a 1944 Broadway musical with music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, and a book by Sig Herzig and Fred Saidy, based on an unpublished play by writer Daniel Lewis James and his wife Lilith.Suskin, 89 The plot concerns ind ...

'' (Producer) *1942: ''The Pirate'' by

S. N. Behrman Samuel Nathaniel Behrman (; June 9, 1893 – September 9, 1973) was an American playwright, screenwriter, biographer, and longtime writer for ''The New Yorker''. His son is the composer David Behrman. Biography Early years Behrman's parents, Z ...

(Director)

References

External links

* * John C. Wilson Papers. Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, John C. 1899 births 1961 deaths American theatre directors American theatre managers and producers People from Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey Stockbrokers Gay men