Cavalcade

Blurb

Cavalcade is a play by Noël Coward with songs by Coward and others. It focuses on three decades in the life of the Marryotts, a quintessential British family, and their servants, beginning in 1900 and ends on New Year's Eve in 1929 and is set against major historical events of the period, including the Relief of Mafeking; the death of Queen Victoria; the sinking of the Titanic; and World War I. The popular songs of at the time of each event were interwoven into the score.
The play was premièred in London in 1931 at the large Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The spectacular production involved a huge cast and massive sets. The play was very successful and ran for almost a year. It took advantage of the large stage of the Drury Lane Theatre with its hydraulics and moving components to dramatise the events. The film adaptation in 1933 won an Academy Award for best picture, and the 1970s Television series Upstairs, Downstairs was based on the play.