In The No�l Coward Foundation's 'Marvellous Party,' an online fundraiser for two nonprofits, dozens of acclaimed actors and musicians perform intimate excerpts from the gay playwright/composer/author's plays, songs, poems and essays.
Participants include Stephen Fry, Sir Derek Jacobi, Indira Varma (Game of Thrones), Kate Burton (Scandal), Montego Glover, Alan Cumming, Giles Terera, Kristine Nielson, Bebe Neuwirth, (Frasier, Chicago).
Among the highlights is Emma Thompson reading Coward's short story, "Mrs. Mallory," and Patricia Routledge (Keeping Up Appearances) singing the event's title song, "I've Been to a Marvellous Party."
Said Dame Judi Dench in a short remembrance, "He was a fantastic man and we owe a great deal to him for what he did for the theatre."
Along with classic Coward songs, the one-hour program, viewable on YouTube, makes for a splendid intelligent hour of enlightenment of Coward's works both light and darkly sarcastic.
Proceeds benefit Acting for Others (UK) and The Actors Fund (UK), both of which offer financial aid to unemployed performing artists in all disciplines.
www.justgiving.com/campaign/amarvellousparty
www.actorsfund.org/MarvelousParty