''This Year of Grace'' is a

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

with a book, music, and lyrics by Noël Coward. It opened in London on 22 March 1928 at the

London Pavilion The London Pavilion is a building on the corner of Shaftesbury Avenue and Coventry Street on the north-east side of Piccadilly Circus in London. It is currently a shopping arcade and part of the Trocadero Centre. Early history The first build ...

and ran for nearly 10 months, directed by Frank Collins, with a cast featuring

Sonnie Hale John Robert Hale-Monro (1 May 1902 – 9 June 1959), known as Sonnie Hale, was an English actor, screenwriter, and director. Early life John Robert Hale-Monro was born in Kensington, London, the son of Belle Reynolds and actor Robert Hal ...

Maisie Gay Maisie Ravier is a fictional character, the leading character of ten films (1939–1947) and the radio show '' The Adventures of Maisie'' (broadcast 1945–1947, 1949–1953). She was played by actress Ann Sothern (1909–2001). Eight of the ten ...

, Jessie Matthews,

Sheilah Graham Sheilah Graham (born Lily Shiel; 15 September 1904 – 17 November 1988) was a British-born, nationally syndicated American gossip columnist during Hollywood's "Golden Age". In her youth, she had been a showgirl and a freelance writer for F ...

and

Tilly Losch Ottilie Ethel Leopoldine Herbert, Countess of Carnarvon (''née'' Losch; November 15, 1903 – December 24, 1975), known professionally as Tilly Losch, was an Austrian dancer, choreographer, actress, and painter who lived and worked for most of ...

among others. Doris Zinkeisen was one of the costume designers for the production. Since the revue was still playing to capacity audiences that autumn, Noël Coward and Charles B. Cochran decided to recruit an entire new cast for the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

transfer to avoid breaking up the profitable London run, with Coward himself replacing Sonnie Hale, Beatrice Lillie taking over Maisie Gay's role, and

Florence Desmond Florence Dawson (31 May 1905 – 16 January 1993), better known by her stage name Florence Desmond, was an English actress, comedian and impersonator. Biography Early life and career Born in London in 1905, Desmond was educated at the Dame A ...

substituting for Laurie Devine as Coward's partner in "Dance, Little Lady". Produced by Arch Selwyn, the Broadway production opened on November 7, 1928 at the Selwyn Theatre, where it ran for 157 performances. Several new numbers for Beatrice Lillie (solo or in duet with Coward) were interpolated into the original London score for this new production, while an additional Act II song "Mexico",Noel Coward Music Index, 'Mexico'
/ref> originally included in pre-London performance, had been dropped before the London opening. The show is also referred to as ''Cochran's Revue'' or ''Cochran's 1928 Revue'', which was its title for the pre-London run. The show contains three enduring Noël Coward songs: " World Weary", "A Room With a View" and "Dance, Little Lady".

Songs

;Act I * "Waiting in a Queue" * "Mary Make Believe" * "Try to Learn to Love" * "Lorelei" * "Lilac Time"These extra numbers not present in original London production * "A Room With a View" * "I Can't Think" * "Teach Me to Dance Like Grandma" ;Act II * "Lido" * "English Lido" * "Little Women" * "Mothers' Complaint" * "Britannia Rules the Waves" * "The Legend of the Lily of the Valley" * " World Weary" * "Dance, Little Lady" * "Chauve Souris" * "Love, Life and Laughter" * "Velasquez" * "The Sun, the Moon and You" * "Playing the Game" The Noël Coward Society, drawing on performing statistics from the publishers and the

Performing Rights Society PRS for Music Limited (formerly The MCPS-PRS Alliance Limited) is a British music copyright collective, made up of two collection societies: the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) and the Performing Right Society (PRS). It undertakes ...

, ranks "A Room With a View" as among Coward's ten most popular songs."Appendix 3 (The Relative Popularity of Coward's Works)"
, Noël Coward Music Index, accessed 9 March 2009

Notes

External links

*
This Year of Grace
at noelcowardmusic.com {{DEFAULTSORT:This Year Of Grace 1928 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals by Noël Coward Revues