Trivia

Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun,
The Japanese don't care to, the Chinese wouldn't dare to
Hindus and Argentines sleep firmly from twelve to one
But Englishmen detest-a siesta

So wrote Noel Coward in 1930. He was only 31 at the time and had already appeared in over a dozen plays in London as well as writing 5 plays and a semi-Viennese operetta entitled "Bitter Sweet." Of the five plays "Private Lives" would be regarded as one of the greatest comedies in the English language rivaling anything by any of his contemporaries, even Oscar Wilde. Coward was the the first true theatrical renaissance man -- actor, writer, director, lyricist, composer, producer and painter. His reign over London's West End and New York's Broadway lasted through the war and into the fifties by which time a new wave of gritty realistic playwrights had seized control from Coward. Not to be phased out, Coward changed his life entirely, living in Jamaica, painting surprisingly well, and becoming a huge cabaret star in Las Vegas rivaling the Rat Pack and preceding Elvis Presley, Wayne Newton, and the new generation of acrobats and magicians.

Of the nearly 500 songs he wrote during his life, "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" remains his most famous comic number -- on concert tours during World War II both Churchill and Roosevelt would specifically request Coward to sing it.