29:
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52:. The play depicts the sexual vanity of a rich, ageing beauty, her troubled relationship with her adult son, and drug abuse in British society circles after the First World War. The son's cocaine habit is seen by many critics as a metaphor for homosexuality, then taboo in Britain. Despite, or because of, its scandalous content for the time, the play was Coward's first great commercial success.
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Leading London managements considered staging the piece, but some shied away from the scandalous content, and others did not want Coward to play the lead. As one of Coward's principal objects in writing the play had been "to write a good play with a whacking great part in it for myself", he abandoned
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The next morning Helen asks
Florence to think of her son, but Florence is more concerned with blaming Tom and Bunty. Nicky arrives as Helen leaves, and he and Florence quarrel more. He reveals his drug habit to her and begs her to give up her selfish ways and to behave like a mother. In the end, the
364:
Nicky
Lancaster is a talented and fashionable, but feckless, young composer and pianist in post-World War I England. He is engaged to Bunty Mainwaring, a journalist; his mother Florence, an ageing socialite beauty, has extramarital affairs with younger men in an attempt to recapture her youth. She
90:
sees clues to Nicky's unconventional sexuality in his intimate friendship with John Bagot (an offstage character), and his implausible engagement to a brisk young woman, Bunty
Mainwaring; Hoare describes her as "a 'beard', a guise of heterosexuality". When asked if she is pretty, Nicky answers, "I
72:
In the years after the First World War, pairings in
England of older, upper-class women and younger men were common. The idea for the play was put in Coward's mind by an incident at a nightclub. Grace Forster, the elegant mother of his friend Stewart Forster, was talking to a young admirer, when a
77:
at that old hag over there with the young man in tow; she's old enough to be his mother". Forster paid no attention, and Coward immediately went across and embraced Grace, as a silent rebuke to the young woman who had made the remark. The episode led him to consider how a "mother–young son–young
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A 2002 London production in which this aspect of the play was played down received critical disapproval. The reviewer Paul Taylor wrote: "hat stops the production from taking full flight is the decision to edit out all the hints that the drama is a coded play about homosexuality. References to
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On Sunday evening the house party is in full swing, with Nicky playing the piano. Florence feels insecure about Tom, and she and Nicky quarrel. Helen discovers Nicky's drug habit and pleads with him to give it up. Nicky struggles with the simmering resentment he feels for his vainglorious and
81:
To add to the dramatic effect of his play, Coward included a further source of conflict between the mother, Florence, and son, Nicky. Coward's friend and biographer Cole Lesley records, "this came easily to him from his unlikely pre-occupation … with the subject of drug addiction". To Nicky's
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on 19 March 1925, and wrote in his diary: "Coward's performance is superb. With shattering realism and masterly restraint he acts the tragedy of the son of a vain, pleasure-seeking, depraved and heartless woman. The ending, though, is inconclusive because there is in fact no way
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does not disguise these, creating society gossip. Her friend Helen advises her to accept ageing more gracefully. Florence's new young man, Tom, turns out to be Bunty's ex-fiancé, which makes Nicky jealous. Florence plans a weekend social gathering at the family's country house.
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Nicky's effeminacy and to his strange disregard for Bunty's attractiveness have been quietly removed. You sense, from the original, that Coward, in an ideal world, would have written a piece in which
Florence's son and her young lover fall into each other's arms."
627:, all revulsion and choking disgust at life in general and 'the utter foulness of growing old' in particular. These two damaged but hitherto seemingly trivial characters powerfully draw our empathy now, in all their weltering petulance, vanity and self-pity."
374:
promiscuous mother, his own weakness for cocaine, and, in the view of some commentators, his repressed homosexuality. Bunty breaks off her engagement with Nicky and seeks Tom's comfort. Florence catches them kissing.
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The play premiered in
November 1924 in London and played in three theatres until June 1925, followed by a British tour and a New York production in 1925–26. It has enjoyed several revivals and a film adaptation.
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As well as co-starring, Coward directed the play. Upset by a last-minute revision that increased Coward's role and, she believed, diminished the importance of hers, the female star,
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155:, a fringe venue in north London. When the money for the production threatened to run out during rehearsals, Coward secured the necessary funding from his friend the author
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The production was well received for its passionate acting and became a sensation because of its scandalous subject matter. The production moved to the West End at the
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was proving durable: "The play that shocked the
Establishment in 1924 is more likely to endure than the play that, with Tynan's avid encouragement, did ditto in 1956:
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writes that Coward pushed at the prevailing moral boundaries of the day: "His straight-talking about homosexuality – the issue disguised as drug-taking in
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259:. The play also toured the British provinces, and Cutler, as Florence, eventually joined the now-proven show's cast. As Coward noted in his memoir
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542:. The BBC broadcast the play again in December 1969 as part of the celebrations of Coward's seventieth birthday. This version starred
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opined: "It is a study that has wit, observation, and a sincerity, leaping out between flippances, which is its peculiar merit."
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251:, closing on 16 June 1925. On the few occasions when Coward was unable to play the part, his role was taken by his understudy,
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291:, a reviewer who became Coward's most implacable critic over the years, called it "the most decadent play of our time".
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on 16 September, closing in
January 1926 after 157 performances. Coward and Basil Dean directed and the cast was:
135:. He persuaded Cromer that the play was "a moral tract", and despite reservations expressed to the Chamberlain by
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Lahr comments that the final tableaux is the first real gesture of contact between mother and son in the play.
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also had reservations but thought parts of the play "the best thing Mr. Coward has yet done in playwriting."
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that the climactic confrontation between Nicky and
Florence is "suddenly, less brittle Coward than howling
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don't know – I haven't really noticed." Florence's lover Tom finds Nicky "effeminate". The literary critic
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Act II (left to right): Clara, Nicky, Florence, Tom, Helen, Pauncefort, Bunty and Bruce (original cast)
148:
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opened at the
Everyman Theatre, Hampstead, North London on 25 November 1924, with the following cast:
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barely survived the censor's scrutiny, but Coward pleaded his case in person to the Lord Chamberlain,
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1935:
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against narcotics with dialogue that sounds today not so much stilted as high-heeled". In 2002
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1991:
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habit, the author added what many critics have seen as a gay sub-text. Coward's biographer
170:, who accepted the part for the small salary offered and learned it at very short notice.
8:
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1788:
424:
1510:
Sinfield, Alan (2000). "Coward and Effeminacy". In Kaplan, Joel; Stowel, Sheila (eds.).
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the English theatre was subject to official censorship; plays had to be licensed by the
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and the code behind the frivolity in his great comedies – was as far as he could go."
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had some reservations, but described the play as "genuinely and deeply interesting".
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787:"Londoners Cool to Hair's Nudity: Four Letter Words Shock Few at Musical's Debut"
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This was followed by an American tour, in which Rose Hobart replaced Molly Kerr.
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1903:
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as Nicky. Radio adaptations have been broadcast by the BBC, first in 1939 with
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called the play "an interesting and, in some respects, a remarkable comedy".
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518:. The play has been adapted for television on several occasions. In 1960 a
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1036:, Teacher Study Guide, Cygnet Theatre, San Diego, accessed 20 October 2015
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Hoare, p. 131; and "Mrs Gladys Calthrop – Artist and stage designer",
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at the Diane Von Furstenburg Studio, The Theater, in 2001; and at the
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suggested that although Tynan's comment was not without some truth,
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two each agree to try to change, as Florence strokes Nicky's hair.
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needs more spin to bring a scandal of yesteryear back to life"
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young woman said, in earshot of Coward and Forster, "Will you
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dates less because it gives a twist to a timeless episode in
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opened in Washington, D.C., on 7 September 1925 and then on
263:, "The Press notices ... were, on the whole, enthusiastic."
435:
taking over as Nicky. The play was revived in 1974 at the
519:
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in London in 2002. In 2008 the play was performed at the
255:. The sets and costumes were designed by Coward's friend
68:
The Lancasters: left to right, Florence, Nicky and David
48:
is a play in three acts by the English writer and actor
553:
A production directed by Daniel Raggett played at the
1320:
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review – Noël Coward's swirling jazz age psychodrama"
494:
as Florence and John Chestle as Nicky; in 1958, with
467:
as Nicky. The play was presented in Singapore by the
1460:
1441:
1121:, British Theatre Playhouse, accessed 17 April 2016
895:
Morley, p. 95; Lesley, pp. 82–84; and Hoare, p. 137
147:managements, and arranged to stage the play at the
1530:
1401:
1218:, British Film Institute, accessed 22 January 2019
1206:, British Film Institute, accessed 22 January 2019
1194:, British Film Institute, accessed 22 January 2019
1133:, British Film Institute, accessed 22 January 2019
557:in May 2023. It starred real-life mother and son
2411:
852:Castle, p. 60 and Coward (2004), pp. 167 and 174
821:
819:
630:
599:. That's largely because many of the objects of
1512:Look Back in Pleasure: Noël Coward Reconsidered
534:adaptation in 1964 those roles were played by
78:lover triangle" might be the basis of a play.
1628:
816:
617:'s 2008 production Christopher Hart wrote in
1588:at Diane Von Furstenburg Studio, The Theater
561:as Florence and Joshua James as Nicky, with
427:(Bruce). The production transferred to the
386:
243:on 16 December 1924 and transferred to the
1635:
1621:
1342:Present Indicative – Autobiography to 1931
1476:(Second ed.). London: Oberon Books.
1180:"A Century of Modern Theatre: The Vortex"
1079:Timothy Dalton – Shakespearean James Bond
1642:
1509:
1442:Mander, Raymond; Joe Mitchenson (1957).
1383:The Diaries of a Cosmopolitan: 1918–1937
878:
876:
603:'s ire … have disappeared into history.
177:
101:
63:
27:
1377:
1321:Coward, Noël; Sheridan Morley (1989) .
471:from 27 April to 15 May 2016, starring
332:Florence Lancaster – Lilian Braithwaite
2412:
1490:
1422:
1339:
1298:
1182:, BBC Genome, accessed 22 January 2019
1170:, BBC Genome, accessed 22 January 2019
1145:, BBC Genome, accessed 22 January 2019
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139:and others, Cromer granted a licence.
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1010:Mander and Mitchenson (2000), p. 101
1001:Mander and Mitchenson (2000), p. 100
975:Brown, Ivor. "Our Vicious Circles",
431:, London, for 44 performances, with
719:
407:as Florence. Also in the cast were
13:
1592:Internet Broadway Database listing
1054:Mander and Michenson (1957), p. 67
707:
109:, seen here in Coward's 1923 play
14:
2436:
1550:
1168:"Afternoon Theatre, 15 June 1975"
347:Bruce Fairlight – Thomas Braidon.
341:David Lancaster – David Glassford
1596:
329:Clara Hibbert – Jeanette Sherwin
247:in February 1925 and finally to
1381:(2000). Charles Kessler (ed.).
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2126:Pretty Polly and Other Stories
1537:. Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin.
1474:Theatrical Companion to Coward
1445:Theatrical Companion to Coward
1363:. London: Sinclair-Stevenson.
758:
749:
740:
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1:
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631:Notes, references and sources
530:as Florence and Nicky. In an
391:A 1952 revival played at the
344:Bunty Mainwaring – Molly Kerr
338:Nicky Lancaster – Noël Coward
217:Nicky Lancaster – Noël Coward
59:
2187:The Queen Was in the Parlour
1880:The Queen Was in the Parlour
7:
1797:The Girl Who Came to Supper
1606:public domain audiobook at
1143:"The Vortex, 21 April 1939"
555:Chichester Festival Theatre
354:
196:Helen Saville – Mary Robson
10:
2441:
1707:Noël Coward's Sweet Potato
1491:Morley, Sheridan (1974) .
1292:
1158:, 26 September 1958, p. 30
870:Coward (2004), pp. 176–178
397:Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith
205:Clara Hibbert – Millie Sim
18:
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1385:. London: Phoenix Press.
992:, 30 November 1924, p. 11
979:, 26 November 1924, p. 12
469:British Theatre Playhouse
314:Preston – George Harcourt
125:Lord Chamberlain's Office
1361:Noël Coward, A Biography
1276:"His dark materialism –
966:, 17 December 1924, p. 2
904:Hoare, pp. 138, 146, 149
886:, 26 November 1924, p. 8
635:
387:Revivals and adaptations
335:Tom Veryan – Alan Hollis
296:Joseph P. Bickerton, Jr.
214:Tom Veryan – Alan Hollis
16:1924 play by Noël Coward
2161:The Noël Coward Diaries
1529:Tynan, Kenneth (1964).
1425:The Life of Noël Coward
1257:Nightingale, Benedict.
1081:, accessed 28 June 2012
977:The Manchester Guardian
510:, and in 1975 starring
393:Theatre Royal, Brighton
272:The Manchester Guardian
21:Vortex (disambiguation)
1359:Hoare, Philip (1995).
1340:Coward, Noël (2004) .
935:, 11 March 1980, p. 14
662:, saw the play at the
308:Henry Miller's Theatre
183:
116:
69:
40:
2118:Pomp and Circumstance
1423:Lesley, Cole (1976).
1404:Coward the Playwright
1306:. London: W H Allen.
953:Coward (2004), p. 182
922:Coward (2004), p. 192
861:Coward (2004), p. 175
658:The German diplomat,
323:Pauncefort Quentin –
208:Florence Lancaster –
199:Pauncefort Quentin –
193:Preston – Claire Keep
181:
143:attempts to convince
105:
67:
31:
2420:Plays by Noël Coward
2358:Waiting in the Wings
2099:The Astonished Heart
2040:Waiting in the Wings
1824:I'll Leave It to You
1468:(2000) . Barry Day;
1448:. London: Rockliff.
1117:4 April 2016 at the
1073:10 June 2013 at the
882:"Everyman Theatre",
746:Coward (1989), p. 98
737:Coward (1989), p. 92
587:Benedict Nightingale
19:For other uses, see
2425:Theatre about drugs
2048:Suite in Three Keys
1514:. London: Methuen.
1495:. London: Penguin.
1408:. London: Methuen.
1400:Lahr, John (1982).
1344:. London: Methuen.
1325:. London: Methuen.
1274:Hart, Christopher.
1192:"The Vortex (1960)"
1131:"The Vortex (1928)"
1019:Sinfield, pp. 37–38
795:, 29 September 1968
766:"First night: This
502:; in 1967 starring
459:, London, starring
447:; in New York City
226:Bunty Mainwaring –
174:Original production
2145:Present Indicative
1749:Conversation Piece
1676:This Year of Grace
1265:, 12 December 2002
1248:Tynan, pp. 286–288
1216:"The Vortex (1969"
1204:"The Vortex (1964"
1030:"About the Play –
1028:Wycoff, Taylor M.
792:The New York Times
776:, 11 December 2002
660:Harry Graf Kessler
613:." In a review of
596:Look Back in Anger
569:Critical reception
261:Present Indicative
249:The Little Theatre
232:Bruce Fairlight –
220:David Lancaster –
210:Lilian Braithwaite
184:
168:Lilian Braithwaite
117:
70:
41:
37:Lilian Braithwaite
2407:
2406:
2403:
2402:
2243:Design for Living
2153:Future Indefinite
2067:In Which We Serve
2000:Peace in Our Time
1952:Design for Living
1668:On with the Dance
1521:978-0-413-75500-1
1502:978-0-14-003863-7
1493:A Talent to Amuse
1483:978-1-84002-054-0
1434:978-0-224-01288-1
1415:978-0-413-48050-7
1370:978-1-85619-265-1
1351:978-0-413-77413-2
1332:978-1-4081-7731-0
1313:978-0-491-00534-0
843:Castle, pp. 61–62
834:Morley, pp. 89–90
544:Margaret Leighton
536:Margaret Johnston
512:Elizabeth Sellars
480:1928 film version
437:Greenwich Theatre
429:Criterion Theatre
222:Bromley Davenport
2432:
2374:Look After Lulu!
2366:Present Laughter
2350:Nude with Violin
2334:South Sea Bubble
2176:
2175:
2075:This Happy Breed
2032:Look After Lulu!
2024:Nude with Violin
2008:South Sea Bubble
1984:This Happy Breed
1976:Present Laughter
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1575:Donmar Warehouse
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563:Priyanga Burford
540:Nicholas Pennell
522:version starred
486:as Florence and
484:Willette Kershaw
463:as Florence and
453:Donmar Warehouse
417:Sylvia Coleridge
317:Helen Saville –
266:The Daily Mirror
149:Everyman Theatre
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2283:Relative Values
2267:Meet Me Tonight
2259:We Were Dancing
2235:Tonight Is Ours
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2091:Brief Encounter
2054:
1968:Tonight at 8.30
1832:The Better Half
1803:
1728:
1722:Cowardy Custard
1684:Words and Music
1660:London Calling!
1647:
1641:
1597:
1580:2001 review of
1568:2002 review of
1563:Standard Ebooks
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1470:Sheridan Morley
1462:Mander, Raymond
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548:Richard Warwick
461:Felicity Kendal
441:Vivien Merchant
439:, London, with
421:Nicholas Hannen
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257:Gladys Calthrop
241:Royalty Theatre
201:F. Kinsey Peile
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2012:
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1896:This Was a Man
1892:
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1840:The Young Idea
1836:
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1781:After the Ball
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1551:External links
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1466:Joe Mitchenson
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1286:, 2 March 2008
1267:
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1154:"The Vortex",
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988:"The Vortex",
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962:"The Vortex",
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664:Comedy Theatre
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528:David McCallum
508:Richard Briers
504:Joan Greenwood
457:Apollo Theatre
445:Timothy Dalton
413:Robert Andrews
409:Adrianne Allen
388:
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245:Comedy Theatre
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112:The Young Idea
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2211:Private Lives
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1992:Blithe Spirit
1989:
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1960:Point Valaine
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1954:
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1864:Fallen Angels
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492:Athene Seyler
489:
485:
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475:as Florence.
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2393:High Spirits
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2316:
2297:
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2281:
2275:Pretty Polly
2273:
2265:
2257:
2251:Bitter Sweet
2249:
2241:
2233:
2225:
2219:Bitter Sweet
2217:
2209:
2201:
2193:
2185:
2159:
2151:
2143:
2124:
2116:
2097:
2089:
2081:
2073:
2065:
2046:
2038:
2030:
2022:
2014:
2006:
1998:
1990:
1982:
1974:
1966:
1958:
1950:
1942:
1934:
1926:
1918:
1912:The Marquise
1910:
1902:
1894:
1886:
1878:
1870:
1862:
1854:
1847:
1846:
1838:
1830:
1822:
1816:The Rat Trap
1814:
1795:
1787:
1779:
1773:Ace of Clubs
1771:
1765:Pacific 1860
1763:
1755:
1747:
1741:Bitter Sweet
1739:
1720:
1712:
1706:
1700:Sigh No More
1698:
1692:Set to Music
1690:
1682:
1674:
1666:
1658:
1602:
1586:off-Broadway
1581:
1569:
1556:
1532:
1511:
1492:
1473:
1444:
1424:
1403:
1382:
1360:
1341:
1322:
1303:
1283:
1277:
1270:
1262:
1259:"The Vortex"
1253:
1244:
1239:, 5 May 2023
1237:The Guardian
1236:
1230:
1227:John, Emma.
1223:
1211:
1199:
1187:
1175:
1163:
1155:
1150:
1138:
1126:
1110:
1105:
1097:
1092:
1086:
1078:
1068:(1975–1976)"
1065:
1059:
1050:
1041:
1031:
1024:
1015:
1006:
997:
990:The Observer
989:
984:
976:
971:
963:
958:
949:
940:
932:
927:
918:
909:
900:
891:
883:
866:
857:
848:
839:
830:
809:
800:
790:
781:
773:
767:
760:
755:Lahr, p. 154
751:
742:
733:
704:Hoare, p. 82
700:
691:
672:
654:
644:
618:
608:
604:
601:John Osborne
594:
590:
578:
572:
559:Lia Williams
552:
488:Ivor Novello
477:
473:Jane Seymour
449:off-Broadway
423:(David) and
405:Isabel Jeans
401:Dirk Bogarde
390:
381:
372:
363:
350:
299:
294:Produced by
293:
282:
278:The Observer
276:
270:
264:
260:
253:John Gielgud
238:
234:Ivor Barnard
186:
185:
161:
141:
128:
118:
110:
96:
88:Philip Hoare
80:
74:
71:
54:
44:
43:
42:
25:
2342:Red Peppers
2291:Easy Virtue
2203:Easy Virtue
2172:Adaptations
1936:Post-Mortem
1872:Easy Virtue
1714:Oh, Coward!
1645:Noël Coward
1156:Radio Times
1045:Lahr, p. 24
496:Fay Compton
465:Dan Stevens
425:Peter Jones
415:(Quentin),
164:Kate Cutler
133:Lord Cromer
107:Kate Cutler
50:Noël Coward
33:Noël Coward
2414:Categories
2195:The Vortex
1888:Semi-Monde
1848:The Vortex
1603:The Vortex
1582:The Vortex
1570:The Vortex
1558:The Vortex
1323:Plays, One
1278:The Vortex
1231:The Vortex
1111:The Vortex
1093:The Vortex
1091:Review of
1066:The Vortex
1032:The Vortex
684:References
625:Strindberg
615:Peter Hall
605:The Vortex
591:The Vortex
579:The Vortex
577:described
565:as Helen.
319:Auriol Lee
300:The Vortex
228:Molly Kerr
187:The Vortex
129:The Vortex
97:The Vortex
60:Background
45:The Vortex
39:in Act III
2318:Cavalcade
2227:Cavalcade
2016:Quadrille
1944:Cavalcade
1920:Home Chat
1856:Hay Fever
1789:Sail Away
1643:Works by
1454:470106222
1263:The Times
933:The Times
884:The Times
419:(Clara),
411:(Helen),
284:The Times
153:Hampstead
93:John Lahr
82:explicit
1757:Operette
1733:Musicals
1608:LibriVox
1472:(eds.).
1302:(1972).
1115:Archived
1071:Archived
583:jeremiad
573:In 1961
524:Ann Todd
482:starred
395:and the
355:Synopsis
304:Broadway
145:West End
2385:Musical
2137:Memoirs
1904:Sirocco
1573:at the
1293:Sources
399:, with
378:Act III
306:at the
84:cocaine
2396:(1964)
2377:(1967)
2369:(1967)
2361:(1965)
2353:(1964)
2345:(1962)
2337:(1956)
2329:(1956)
2321:(1955)
2302:(2020)
2294:(2008)
2286:(2000)
2278:(1967)
2270:(1952)
2262:(1942)
2254:(1940)
2246:(1933)
2238:(1933)
2230:(1933)
2222:(1933)
2214:(1930)
2206:(1928)
2198:(1928)
2190:(1927)
2164:(1982)
2156:(1954)
2148:(1937)
2129:(1964)
2121:(1960)
2102:(1950)
2094:(1945)
2086:(1945)
2078:(1944)
2070:(1942)
2051:(1966)
2043:(1960)
2035:(1959)
2027:(1956)
2019:(1952)
2011:(1951)
2003:(1946)
1995:(1941)
1987:(1939)
1979:(1939)
1971:(1936)
1963:(1934)
1955:(1932)
1947:(1931)
1939:(1930)
1931:(1930)
1923:(1927)
1915:(1927)
1907:(1927)
1899:(1926)
1891:(1926)
1883:(1926)
1875:(1925)
1867:(1925)
1859:(1925)
1851:(1924)
1843:(1923)
1835:(1922)
1827:(1920)
1819:(1918)
1800:(1963)
1792:(1961)
1784:(1954)
1776:(1950)
1768:(1946)
1760:(1938)
1752:(1934)
1744:(1929)
1725:(1972)
1717:(1972)
1709:(1968)
1703:(1945)
1695:(1939)
1687:(1932)
1679:(1928)
1671:(1925)
1663:(1923)
1652:Revues
1543:949598
1541:
1518:
1499:
1480:
1452:
1431:
1412:
1389:
1367:
1348:
1329:
1310:
1100:, 2008
768:Vortex
610:Hamlet
581:as "a
369:Act II
119:Until
2179:Films
2110:Prose
2059:Films
1808:Plays
667:out".
636:Notes
360:Act I
1539:OCLC
1516:ISBN
1497:ISBN
1478:ISBN
1450:OCLC
1429:ISBN
1410:ISBN
1387:ISBN
1365:ISBN
1346:ISBN
1327:ISBN
1308:ISBN
1304:Noël
546:and
538:and
526:and
514:and
506:and
498:and
443:and
121:1968
75:look
35:and
1561:at
532:ITV
520:BBC
2416::
2310:TV
1464:;
1282:,
1261:,
1235:,
1096:,
1077:,
875:^
818:^
789:,
772:,
721:^
709:^
550:.
478:A
298:,
159:.
151:,
127:.
1636:e
1629:t
1622:v
1545:.
1524:.
1505:.
1486:.
1456:.
1437:.
1418:.
1395:.
1373:.
1354:.
1335:.
1316:.
1280:"
1229:"
1064:"
1034:"
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
