Editing Ivor Novello (section)

==Second World War and last years==
Novello presented only two new shows during the Second World War. ''Arc de Triomphe'' (1943), a musical vehicle for Mary Ellis, was only a modest success, but ''[[Perchance to Dream (musical)|Perchance to Dream]]'' (1945) was immensely successful, running for 1,022 performances. In between the two shows, Novello had been in serious legal trouble and served four weeks in prison for misuse of [[petrol]] coupons, a serious offence under [[Rationing in the United Kingdom#World War II|rationing laws]] in wartime Britain. An admiring fan had stolen the coupons from her employer, but the court found that Novello was also culpable.<ref>MacQueen-Pope, p. 234. The offending fan, Dora Grace Constable, escaped with a £50 fine: see ODNB</ref> The prison term, though short, came as a severe shock to Novello, both mentally and physically, and had serious lasting effects.<ref name=dnb/> Not everybody was supportive; Coward's sympathy was limited: "He's been fighting like a steer to keep going as before the war and hasn't done a thing for the general effort",<ref>Hoare (1995), p.349; Coward's modified sympathy was later echoed in [[Ewan MacColl]]'s song "Ivor": see MacColl, Ewan. ''Bad Lads and Hard Cases'', Riverside LP 1957</ref> but when Novello returned to ''The Dancing Years'' after his release, he received "a rapturous ovation" on his first entrance.<ref name=dnb/>

Novello's last full-scale production in this style, ''[[King's Rhapsody]]'' (1949), was, in Webb's words, "a self-consciously romantic counter-blast to the modern musical: crown princes, ballrooms, royal yachts, beautiful princesses and a full-scale coronation".<ref name=grove/> After the rigours of war, this escapist entertainment had strong box-office appeal and ran for 841 performances.<ref>Gaye, p. 1533</ref> The show starred Novello and the cast included [[Phyllis Dare]], Zena Dare, Olive Gilbert and Bobbie Andrews. It was still running, at the [[Palace Theatre, London|Palace Theatre]], when Novello's last show opened. This was ''[[Gay's the Word (musical)|Gay's the Word]]'' (1951). Novello had written no role for himself; the show starred the comedy actress [[Cicely Courtneidge]] and was a departure from his established pattern, balancing the contrasting styles of European operetta and post-war American musicals.<ref name=dnb/> ''The Times'' commented that the show "cheerfully parodied the very [[Ruritania]]n romances to which he owed his most triumphant successes".<ref name=times/>