"Personally it would make me jealous to sit in
a bathroom surrounded by gods and goddesses with better figures than my
own."
“It would encourage me."— Noel Coward, The Vortex (1924)
On this date in 1924, Noel Coward enjoyed an especially satisfying present for his 25th
birthday: his first long-running hit in London’s West End. With its unblinking
treatment of youthful drug addiction and coded references to the taboo topic of
homosexuality, The Vortex had the kind of wit and whiff of
decadence last associated with Oscar Wilde.
The play’s success made the playwright the toast of
the town, giving him access to the most exclusive drawing rooms—an environment
thoroughly enjoyed by Coward, who had been born in decidedly less privileged
circumstances. The success was doubly gratifying because it ratified the wisdom
of Coward’s strategy in urging the theater to stage this play rather than Hay Fever, which had no role that the
playwright felt he could play. In time, he would assume multiple roles in the
entertainment world: not just playwright and actor, but also composer-lyricist,
film director, and, late in life, singer.
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