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Auditioning for 'Brigadoon' in 1949 (left), starlet Noele Gordon grabbed her first chance of theatrical 'big time'.
As Noele, dressed immaculately in character as Meg Brockie, sung her way through composer Frederick Loewe's lovesongs, the
whole theatre, from technicians to chorus girls, were captivated by her voice. Loewe stood and asked the nervous actress:
'Miss Gordon, are you married? If not, will you marry me, so you will always be there to sing my songs the way you've
just sung that one.' Noele sang another number. As the knowledgeable audience burst into applause, she knew that
the coveted role was surely hers. If only she could have seen just what the name 'Meg' was to mean in her splendid future.
From charity concerts and religious 'Visions' wasn't all that far to an acting career in which Noele Gordon remains a
leading star. Aged 15, Noele went off to RADA, the country's number one drama school. 'I adored it there,' Noele
remembers. 'We did Shakespeare and Shaw and all the Coward plays. I played Eliza Doolittle - terrific stuff.'
Alas there aren't any pictures of Noele as Eliza, but this sophisticated young lady remains Noele's favourite photograph of
herself (right). The poised young star of 1940 shows just how far Noele Gordon had come, through drama school, repertory
and the London stage, since those days in East Ham. Her voice had been trained, her acting developed and the parts came
rolling in. All through the war she appeared in ENSA concerts, as well as in stage plays and West End musicals.
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