I’m much more dignified on the stage tha...

I’m much more dignified on the stage than in the country--it’s my milieu. I’ve tried terribly hard to be “landed gentry”, but without any real success. I long for excitement and glamour. Think of the thrill of a first night; all those ardent playgoers willing one to succeed; the critics all leaning forward with glowing faces, receptive and exultant--emitting queer little inarticulate noises as some witty line tickles their fancy. The satisfied grunt of the Daily Mail, the abandoned gurgle of the Sunday Times, and the shrill, enthusiastic scream of the Daily Express! I can distinguish them all--

Noel Coward. Hay Fever. London: Samuel French Acting Edition. p.11.