queer: Last News

Private Lives and Blithe Spirit (by 30, he was already the highest paid writer in the world!).He was also gay—a truth that almost everyone knew, but no one talked about.Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.Of course, that’s not the most surprising thing considering the era Coward rose to prominence. But it’s only in recent years that we’ve begun to fully appreciate the impact her made, not just as a dramatist, but as a queer dramatist.While his work was never expressly gay, it was undoubtedly imbued with his queer sensibilities.

Take for example, “Mad About The Boy,” one of his most well-known numbers written for the comedy I’ll Leave It To You, originally intended to be sung by women daydreaming about their movie-star crush.And have you ever seen it performed in drag by Yul Bryner?But, come on: “I know it’s stupid to be mad about the boy, I’m so ashamed of it but must admit, the sleepless nights I’ve had about the boy”? It’s not hard to read those lyrics from the perspective of a gay man!While Coward largely kept his private life private, he did eventually find a hunky screen idol of his own: The South Africa-born stage and screen actor Graham Payn, who would appear in a number of the writer’s works over the years. The true nature of their decades-long romance was kept a secret until after Coward passed.From his lovers to his lavish lifestyle to his lasting legacy, all of that and more is explored in the fascinating documentary Mad About The Boy: The Noël Coward Story—taking its name from his signature song, naturally!—directed by filmmaker Barnaby Thompson (who also helped produce Spice World, so let’s give him his flowers).The film recounts his life, from impoverished childhood to jet-setting star up until his passing in 1973, told largely through his own words, music, and rarely seen home movies.Listen carefully and you’ll hear a number of familiar voices.