It was in Hampstead 84 years ago that Coward shot to fame with his contentious play, The Vortex, which recently enjoyed a huge success in the West End starring Felicity Kendall.

Noël at Noël weaves a captivating narrative of Coward’s life and times with John Michael’s own personal story. We caught up with John Michael to find out more about “Australia’s foremost Coward exponent”.

Tell me a little about your new show, Noël At Noël?
Noël at Noël is a celebration of the lyric gift of one of the most adventurous lyricists in the English language, London’s own Noel Coward. The show interweaves Coward’s songs with my own personal journey from the Australian outback through some of the most exotic watering hole in the world to Coward’s hometown of London.

It is wonderful to be performing the show in London in the intimate space of the New End Theatre in Hampstead, opening on Coward’s birthday, 16 December 2008.

What is it about Coward's work that still makes it performed today?
A sharp observation of human behaviour – sexual or otherwise – that is timeless and very, very funny.

What was it that specifically drew you to him?
His brilliant use of the English language and his witty, irreverent and deliciously outrageous humour.

You’ve been performing Coward’s work for over 20 years, do you ever get tired of it?
Never! Occasionally it can feel overwhelmingly daunting but the songs are so rich in ideas, characters, and invention that the challenge is constantly renewed.

How do you keep it fresh?
The audiences keep it fresh with the first time or renewed acquaintance with the material that reminds them of their selves and their friends, particularly their friends.

"Coward loved the spotlight and the adulation and would have loved the freedom of our society today."

Do you have a favourite Coward song or play that has a particular affinity with you?
I love Coward’s comedy songs with a passion, but I am deeply drawn to one of his most moving lyrics, ‘Matelot’, a song about a love so powerful and so unwavering that it sets a person free.

Although his plays are frequently revived and his songs sung as stand alone numbers, his musicals are seldom seen. Why do you think this is?
You could argue that Coward, despite his formidable reputation as a playwright, was also an expert miniaturist that could capture characters brilliantly in the lyrics of a song. His large-scale musical works were very much of their time and designed as star vehicles for the musical celebrities of the day. To produce them now would beggar the Bank of England.

The gay community has taken Coward’s smoking jacket, cigarette and sophisticated quips to heart. Do you think he would have approved to be seen as a queer icon?
Absolutely. Coward loved the spotlight and the adulation and would have loved the freedom of our society today.

There’s a lot of gay subtext in Coward’s work. In today’s more open society, do you think he would have been a strong queer voice?
Yes, I think he would. Given that he was a mainstream creative artist, he would bring a greater visibility and a celebration of the community. As a satirical observer, his views on our society would be illuminating and hilarious.

Talking of theatre, what was the last thing you saw?
Apocalypse Perth, in my hometown – a hilarious insight into the online world of theatre reviewing where no turn goes unstoned!

What was your back-up plan if performing didn’t work out?
Footman at Buckingham Palace.

Who is the rudest celebrity you’ve met?
Too many celebrities are rude. Talented people I’ve met from Peter Ustinov to Gore Vidal have all being wonderful. Prickly, yes, but always generous.

"Too many celebrities are rude. Talented people I’ve met from Peter Ustinov to Gore Vidal have all being wonderful. Prickly, yes, but always generous."

Which comes first for you: sex or love?
It used be to love, now I am older and wiser.

What’s in your bedside table?
The entire collection of Jane Austen.

What is your most diva-like demand?
Hot English tea at interval. Unheard of in Asia!

What are your guilty pleasures?
Champagne and singing the Methodist Hymn Book, though generally not at the same time.

And finally, what’s on your wish list for Santa this year?
Stephen Fry would be fab!

Noël At Noël, by John Michael Swinbank
New End Theatre
27 New End
London, NW3 1JD
0870 033 2733 / www.newendtheatre.co.uk

16 December to 25 January 2009

Want more? Then why not buy Noel Coward and Radclyffe Hall: Kindred Spirits online and save some money to put towardsand Straight Acting: Popular Gay Drama from Wilde to Rattigan. Alternatively, indulge yourself and buy the seven-disc DVD Noël Coward Collection!