Sirocco

Sirocco is a play, in four acts, by Noël Coward. It opened at Daly's Theatre, on 24 November 1927. The production was directed by Basil Dean. The play, set in Italy, depicts an affair between a local painter and a young married Englishwoman. Although it starred the popular Ivor Novello, the first night was a disaster and the play closed after 28 performances. Background and production While on holiday in Alassio in 1921 Coward had enjoyed the atmosphere of the Combattente Club, with "much tawdry glamour … contributed by sweet champagne, an electric piano, paper streamers and the usual paraphernalia of Latin carnival", and the added attraction of an attractive young local who caught his eye and inspired the fiery, romantic hero of Sirocco. He wrote the play soon afterwards, but it remained unstaged for six years. In 1921 Coward was still little known, but by late 1927, when Sirocco was finally produced, he had established himself with two substantial successes – The Vortex (1924) and Hay Fever (1925). He had done less well in 1927. The Marquise ran in the West End for a moderate run of 129 performances, and Home Chat played for only 38. Basil Dean, who directed (or as it was phrased at the time "produced") the latter was keen to stage the six-year-old Sirocco, and Coward agreed. It opened at Daly's Theatre on 24 November 1927 and closed on 17 December. Original cast Miss Johnson – Ada King Mrs Breeze – Margaret Watson Mrs Griffin – Helen Ferrers Francine Trott – Blyth Daly Lucy Griffin – Frances Doble Sirio Marson – Ivor Novello The Rev Sampson Crutch – Aubrey Mather Stephen Griffin – David Hawthorne Pietro – Tony de Lungo Giulia – Margery Gabain Gianetta – Doris Garrick Antonio Piocchi – Arturo Gomez Giuseppe – George Coulouris Waiter – Mario Mariani Maria – Elizabeth Vaughan