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''Tonight at 8.30'' is a cycle of ten one-act plays by Noël Coward. In the introduction to a published edition of the plays, Coward wrote, "A short play, having a great advantage over a long one in that it can sustain a mood without technical creaking or over padding, deserves a better fate, and if, by careful writing, acting and producing I can do a little towards reinstating it in its rightful pride, I shall have achieved one of my more sentimental ambitions."〔(''Shaw Festival Study Guide, 2009'' ), p. 4. Accessed 17 March 2010.〕 ''Tonight at 8.30'' was first produced in 1935 in Manchester and on tour and played in London (1936), New York (1936–1937) and Canada (1938). The plays were performed in various combinations of three at each performance during the original run. The plays chosen for each performance were announced in advance, although a myth evolved that the groupings were random.〔''The Times'', 20 January 1936, p. 10; 11 February 1936, p. 12; 2 March 1936, p. 12; 6 April 1936, p. 10; 2 May 1936, p. 12; 10 June 1936, p. 14.〕 The plays have enjoyed several major revivals, and several films and television adaptations are based on them. From August to October 2009, the series was presented in repertory by the Shaw Festival.〔Belcher, David. ("Brushing Up Their Coward in Canada", ) ''The New York Times'', 17 August 2009〕 ==Background== In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Coward wrote a succession of popular hits, ranging from the operetta ''Bitter Sweet'' (1929) and the extravaganza ''Cavalcade'' (1931), requiring a large cast, gargantuan sets and a complex hydraulic stage, to the intimate comedies ''Private Lives'' (1930), in which Coward starred alongside Gertrude Lawrence, and ''Design for Living'' (1932).〔Hoare, p. 249〕 Coward said that after ''Private Lives'', he felt that the public enjoyed seeing him and Lawrence together on stage, and so he wrote them as "acting, singing, and dancing vehicles for Gertrude Lawrence and myself". Four of the plays in the cycle "break into spontaneous song... in the most unexpected places".〔 The songs from ''Tonight at 8.30'' are as follows:〔''The Lyrics of Noël Coward'', Heinemann, London, 1965, pp. 168–179〕 *"We Were Dancing", from ''We Were Dancing'' *"Has Anybody Seen our Ship?" and "Men About Town" from ''Red Peppers'' *"Then", "Play, Orchestra, Play" and "You Were There" from ''Shadow Play'' *"Drinking Song", "Princes and Princesses", "Music Box" and "Hearts and Flowers" from ''Family Album'' 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tonight at 8:30」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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