About the play, The Vortex

Teacher STUDY GUIDE
SAN DIEGO | OLD TOWN
HAY FEVER THE VORTEX
By
By Noël
Noël Coward
Coward
By
By Noël
Noël Coward
Coward
Written and Researched by Taylor M. Wycoff
Sponsors:
KAMAYA JANE & DIANE ZEPS
in Honor of their Mother, Elaine Lipinky
619.337.1525 • www.cygnettheatre.com
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
This Study Guide contains a variety of resource material to accommodate different classes
and levels. Teachers need not use all the material found here but rather choose the most
appropriate materials given their current curriculum. Topics may be used separately or
in any combination that works for you.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
About Cygnet Theatre Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
“The Rep” Explained . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Our Team of Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Production Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Cast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
About the Playwright, Noël Coward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
About the Play, Hay Fever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Play Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Glossary of Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Cultural Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
About the Play, The Vortex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Play Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Glossary of Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Cultural Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Theatre Etiquette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Recommended Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Cygnet Theatre Company values the feedback of teachers on the content and format of its Study
Guides. We would appreciate your comments or suggestions on ways to improve future Study
Guides. Comments may be directed to Taylor M. Wycoff by email at taylor@cygnettheatre.com.
WELCOME
We are pleased to welcome you to Cygnet Theatre and our productions of Noël Coward’s Hay Fever and
The Vortex, directed by Rob Lutfy and Sean Murray (respectively). Since taking flight, Cygnet Theatre has
grown into one of San Diego’s largest theatre companies and become known for producing adventurous,
entertaining and thought-provoking live professional theatre year round.
ABOUT CYGNET THEATRE
Our Mission
Believing in the power of theatre to startle the soul, ignite debate and embrace the diversity of the community in
which it serves, Cygnet Theatre Company is fearlessly committed to the dissection, examination and celebration
of the human story through the medium of live theatre.
Staying True To Our Mission
Since taking flight in 2003, Cygnet Theatre has grown into one of San Diego’s leading theatre companies and is
known for producing adventurous, entertaining and thought-provoking live professional theatre year round.
Cygnet began life in 2003 producing high caliber work in a 165-seat house located in San Diego’s Rolando area
near SDSU. Nearly half of all productions have been local premieres, as Cygnet believes strongly in bringing new
voices to the community. These have been balanced with classics and musicals. The community response from the
beginning was tremendous and Cygnet soon needed a larger venue. In 2008, Cygnet moved to the 246-seat Old
Town Theatre in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, where Cygnet reaches over 40,000 people annually and
remains committed to bringing multiple unique voices to the stage.
In 11 years, Cygnet has produced over 62 plays, created jobs for over 392 actors, 102 Equity contracts, 200 designers, 61 stage managers, 43 backstage technicians and 50 musicians.
What’s in a Name?
When we were more of an idea than a reality, we began contemplating what the name of our company would be. We were very small but
ready to announce our presence. In Elizabethan England, the Swan
Theatre was built in 1595. It was a contemporary theatre to William
Shakespeare, known for his Globe Theatre. We had ambitions to rival
San Diego’s Old Globe in quality and heart and decided that our “rival” theatre to theirs would be named after the Shakespearean rival,
The Swan. Since we were so small at the time, we named ourselves
after the young version of a swan, the cygnet. Thus: Cygnet Theatre.
When Old Globe founder Craig Noel was told about the origin of our
new name, he laughed fully and gave us his whole-hearted approval.
It delighted him, he said, and thus a cygnet was born.
Did You Know...
There is a swan hidden in every production
at Cygnet Theatre. Sometimes it’s on
a costume, sometimes it’s a piece of
furniture, sometimes it’s a picture on a
wall, and sometimes it’s a cleverly hidden
prop that only makes a brief appearance
on stage. Can you find the swan in these
productions? Keep an eye out!
3
“The Rep” Explained
Cygnet Theatre’s productions of Hay Fever and The Vortex are running in alternating repertory.
What does “in repertory” mean?
When a theatre company says that they are producing two or more productions “in repertory” (or commonly
shortened to “in rep”) it simply means that they are presenting several plays from their repertoire, usually
in alternation or rotation. This can take on a variety of forms- for us it means we are presenting two related
plays that alternate every performance.
What is the benefit of doing two shows in rep?
The idea behind the repertory part of our season is to give the audience the opportunity to see two related shows backto-back, enhancing the experience of the plays and understanding of the themes. We began two years ago by presenting
two very different shows that shared some of the same characters, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest and
the subsequently inspired Travesties by Tom Stoppard. Last year we decided on two very different shows that shared the
same playwright (Sam Shepard), True West and Fool for Love. This year, we continue that approach with Hay Fever and
The Vortex, both penned by Noël Coward.
Why these plays?
I’ve been enamored with Noël Coward and his work since I was introduced to his writing while I was in high school. First
I was attracted to his wit, glamour and talent. His music was fun and clever. With time I began to discover that there is a
deeper level in his work than readily apparent on the surface. He was consistently making revolutionary waves couched in
his trademark style and glib barbs. Underneath the wit were biting commentaries on society and culture. He was a young
playwright responding to a world that had recently come out of the other end of World War I. The War had shattered all
sense of status quo and it was impossible for the young people who fought and survived that war to return to the social
system from before the mayhem. For the youth of the 1920s, very little that had come before made any sense. Their
disaffected and disillusioned view of life began to manifest itself into a decade of breaking norms and indulging in such
scandalous things as jazz, alcohol, drugs, and new fashions.
For a new nihilistic post-war world, Coward created plays that told these stories in ways that the middle and upper classes
could enjoy them for their wit, but also allow themselves to be scandalized by their flagrant lack of morality. His plays
dealt with characters who were divorced, inside society but critical of society; they did drugs, they had torrid affairs,
terrible manners (in a country that relied on manners to keep things civil.) He was portraying a lost generation in search
of meaning. His songs Play Orchestra Play, Poor Little Rich Girl, World Weary, etc, were songs that depicted a disillusioned
generation dancing frantically to keep ahead of the haunting notion that nothing matters.
Coward had written several plays when a producer came to him to propose his West End debut and asked him which one
should be his introduction to the West End audience. Both The Vortex and Hay Fever were on his list. He chose The Vortex
because as he put it, “there was a ripping good role in it for [himself].” So The Vortex opened with Coward playing the
central role of Nicky. He became an overnight sensation and continued to be so for his entire career.
Hay Fever opened shortly thereafter, both plays running for a time concurrently on the West End. Both plays deal with a
family who are outside of the accepted norms of society, for differing reasons. One is a comedy of manners, light, funny
and a little naughty. The other is one of Coward’s only serious dramas. As he’s not particularly known for his serious side,
The Vortex is seldom produced. By pairing it up with its doppelganger, Hay Fever, we can explore two very different sides
of Noël Coward: his popular persona full of wit and clever barbs, and his less known but revolutionary and scathingly
serious persona.
- Sean Murray, Artistic Director
4
OUR TEAM OF ARTISTS
THE PRODUCTION TEAM
Director (The Vortex). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sean Murray
Director (Hay Fever). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rob Lutfy
Stage Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jennifer Kozumplik°*
Set Designer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sean Fanning°
Lighting Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R. Craig Wolf
Sound Designer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matt Lescault-Wood°
Properties Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Syd Stevens
Costume Designer. . . . . . . . . . Jacinda Johnston-Fischer
Wig & Makeup Designer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter Herman°
Dialect Coach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vanessa Dinning
Dramaturg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taylor Wycoff
Assistant Stage Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ryan Heath*
Assistant Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Phil Johnson
Assistant Scenic Designer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nick Pecher
Assistant Lighting Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chad Shelton
Production Assistant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maria Orozco-Smith
Executive Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bill Schmidt
Production Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenn Stauffer
Technical Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sam Moore
Master Electrician . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Skeeter Barraza
Costume Manager & Dresser. . . . . . . . . . . . . Sarah Marion
Wig Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Katie Knox
Charge Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rene Nielson
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, °Cygnet Resident Artist
“Coward is above all, smart. He is
an able craftsman, particularly in the
art of quick and effective dialogue.
He is a typical post-war product in
his point of view. Specializing in
the exhibition of the fast, neurotic,
and blasé types who infest London,
he has very ably set forth in his best
work the philosophy of these rather
exceptional people.”
- Barret Clark,
“Contemporary English Dramatists II,”
The English Journal, October
THE CAST
David Bliss (Hay Fever)/
David Lancaster (The Vortex). . . . . . . . . . Paul Eggington
Simon Bliss (Hay Fever)/
Nickey Lancaster (The Vortex). . . . . . . Charles Evans Jr.°
Sandy Tyrell (Hay Fever)/
Tom Veryan (The Vortex). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AJ Jones
The cast of Cygnet Theatre’s productions of The Vortex and
Hay Fever with directors Sean Murray and Rob Lutfy.
Judith Bliss (Hay Fever)/
Florence Lancaster (The Vortex). . . . Rosina Reynolds°*
Richard Greatham (Hay Fever)/
Pauncefort Quentin (The Vortex). . . . . . . . . James Saba*
Jackie Coyton (Hay Fever)/
Clara Hibbert (The Vortex) . . . . . Lauren King Thompson
Myra Arundel (Hay Fever)/
Helen Saville (The Vortex). . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jill Van Velzer
Sorel Bliss (Hay Fever)/
Bunty Mainwaring (The Vortex). . Rachael VanWormer°
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, °Cygnet Resident Artist
5
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
NOËL COWARD
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (18991973) was an English playwright,
composer,
director,
actor
and singer, known for his wit,
flamboyance, and what Time
magazine called “a sense of
personal style, a combination of
cheek and chic, pose and poise.”
Born in Teddington, a suburb of
London, Mr. Coward attended
a dance academy in London as
a child, making his professional
stage début at the age of eleven.
As a teenager he was introduced
into the high society in which
most of his plays would be set.
Mr. Coward achieved enduring
success as a playwright, publishing more than 50 plays from his teens onwards. Many of his works, such as Hay Fever,
Private Lives, Design for Living, Present Laughter and Blithe Spirit, have remained in the regular theatre repertoire. Fortytwo of his plays are published by Samuel French. He composed hundreds of songs, in addition to well over a dozen
musical theatre works (including the operetta Bitter Sweet and comic revues), poetry, several volumes of short stories,
the novel Pomp and Circumstance, and a three-volume autobiography. Mr. Coward’s stage and film acting and directing
career spanned six decades, during which he starred in many of his own works. At the outbreak of World War II, Mr. Coward
volunteered for war work, running the British propaganda office in Paris. He also worked with the Secret Service, seeking to
use his influence to persuade the American public and government to help Britain. Mr. Coward won an Academy Honorary
Award in 1943 for his naval film drama, In Which We Serve, and was knighted in 1969. In the 1950s he achieved fresh success
as a cabaret performer, performing his own songs, such as “Mad Dogs and Englishmen”, “London Pride” and “I Went to a
Marvellous Party.” His plays and songs achieved new popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, and his work and style continue to
influence popular culture. Mr. Coward did not publicly acknowledge his homosexuality, but it was discussed candidly after
his death by biographers including Graham Payn, his long-time partner, and in Mr. Coward’s diaries and letters, published
posthumously. The former Albery Theatre (originally the New Theatre) in London was renamed the Noël Coward Theatre
in his honour in 2006.
Source: http://www.samuelfrench.com/
Noël Coward on the Inspiration for Hay Fever and The Vortex
“On Sunday evenings up on Riverside Drive, we had cold supper and played games,
often rather acrimonious games owing to Laurette’s abrupt disapproval of any
guest who turned out to be self-conscious, nervous, or unable to act an adverb
or an historical personal with proper abandon. There were also, very often, shrill
arguments concerning rules. These were waged entirely among the family, and
frequently ended in all four of them leaving the room and retiring upstairs where,
later on, they might be discovered by any guest bold enough to go in search of
them, amicably drinking tea in the kitchen. It was inevitable that someone should
eventually utilize portions of this eccentricity in a play, and I am only grateful to Fate
that no guest of the Hartley Manner’s thought of writing Hay Fever before I did.”
“A friend of mine was a guards officer who
had a problem mother, a lady whose lovers
were men of her son’s age. One evening I
was in a supper club, the Garrick Galleries
I think, with my friend when his mother
walked in. ‘Look over there’ someone said,
‘at that old hag with the good-looking
young man in tow!’ I tried to imagine what
her son must have been thinking, and the
incident gave me the idea for The Vortex.”
6
ABOUT THE PLAY • Hay Fever
Retired stage star Judith Bliss, her novelist husband and their two bohemian adult children have each
invited houseguests for the weekend. But as the Blisses indulge their artistic eccentricities in a hilarious
whirlwind of flirtation and histrionics, the guests begin to wonder if they’ve landed in a madhouse—and if
they can survive with their own wits intact.
Plot Synopsis
Act 1, A Saturday afternoon in June - Hay Fever opens on the country house of Judith and David Bliss.
Judith, a famous (perhaps legendary) actress, has retired from the stage and spends her time playing in
her garden while her husband David writes his novels. Their two grown, equally Bohemian children, Simon
and Sorel, live with them at home. As the play begins Simon and Sorel are dallying in the living room
exchanging mutual insults about friends and worrying that their mother is “up to” something. Concerned
that Judith has invited some “dreary, infatuated young man” to the house for the weekend, Sorel admits
that she, herself, has invited Richard Greatham, a proper English diplomat, as her guest for the weekend.
Judith comes in from the garden and reveals that she has indeed invited a young man, Sandy Tyrell. Simon
adds that he too has invited a weekend guest: Myra Arundel. And finally, David comes downstairs from his
study and adds on more visitor to the list; Jackie Coryton, a “perfectly sweet flapper.”
After more arguments and witty bantering, Judith announces that she has decided to come out of
retirement and revive one of her greatest hits, Love’s Whirlwind. As she and the children begin to perform
one of their favorite scenes from the play, they are interrupted by the arrival of their guests. In their blithely
ill-mannered and unconventional way, the family members greet their visitors brusquely and leave them to
make acquaintance and fend for themselves.
Act 2, After dinner that night - The Blisses and their guests have retired to the living room for a charadeslike game of “Adverbs” in which the players attempt to perform an action “in the manner of” an adverb.
Not unexpectedly, the hosts enjoy the game more than their guests who are quickly overwhelmed by the
speed of the sometimes acerbic proceedings. Once the game is concluded, the family members begin
flirtatious liaisons with their visitors, but not necessarily with the guest each invited. Judith gets cozy
with Richard. Sorel ducks into the library with Sandy. Simon and Jackie take a walk in the garden. When
Judith discovers David and Myra together, the aging actress takes advantage of the opportunity for more
dramatics and the evening draws to a rollicking close as she reprises scenes from Love’s Whirlwind.
Act 3, The next morning - Jackie and Sandy reach the obvious conclusion that they are dealing with
a family of lunatics. Along with Myra and Richard, the four guests band together, decide to depart for
London in Sandy’s car and hasten to make their escape. Meanwhile, the Blisses gather downstairs for
breakfast. David tries to read the final chapter of his novel, The Sinful Woman, to his family but is soon
embroiled in an argument with Judith about the geography of Paris. Simon and Sorel can’t help but join
the debate, and eventually the whole family is once again at each others’ throats.
The guests use this moment of pandemonium to slip quietly away. The oblivious family settles down to
enjoy its breakfast, Judith once again announces her plans to return to the stage, and David continues
reading The Sinful Woman.
7
Characters
JUDITH BLISS, a retired actress.
DAVID BLISS, her husband, a novelist.
SOREL BLISS, their daughter.
SIMON BLISS, their son.
SANDY TYRELL, a boxer invited by Judith.
MYRA ARUNDEL, a sophisticate invited by Simon.
RICHARD GREATHAM, a diplomat invited by Sorel.
JACKIE CORYTON, a flapper invited by David.
CLARA, Judith’s former dresser and the family’s housekeeper.
Marie Tempest as Judith with Robert
Andrews and Helen Spencer as her children
in the original 1925 production of Hay Fever.
Rosina Reynolds as Judith with Charles Evans, Jr. and
Rachael VanWormer as her children in Cygnet Theatre’s
production of Hay Fever.
8
GLOSSARY
OF
TERMS
(in order of appearance)
Trollop: a slovenly woman; slattern; a loose
woman; wanton
Poseuse: (French) a poser; a phony
Au fond: (French) at the bottom; in the end; in
the deepest sense; in essence
The Squire’s lady: the lady of the house; an
owner of a country estate, esp. the principal
landowner in a village or district
Oil of cloves: made from the dry bud of a tropical
tree; dentists traditionally used this essential
oil for its healing and soothing properties, to
ease pain
Scullery: a room in a large house for cleaning and
storing dishes and culinary utensils, washing
vegetables, and similar coarse work
played by four persons with 144 tiles that are
drawn and discarded until one player secures
a winning hand
Frowsy: having a slovenly or uncared-for
appearance
Mary Queen of Scots: Queen of Scotland
during the reign of Elizabeth I. A
cousin of Elizabeth’s, Mary was
also the Catholic favorite for the
thrown of England. She was
imprisoned and then beheaded
by Elizabeth after being thrown
out of Scotland in favor of her
son James (who became James
1 of England). A famous tragic
figure in English history.
Crippen: Early 20th century murder who murdered
his wife and then flayed her, hiding her body in
the cellar. He was eventually caught.
Dresser: in theatre cliché, the dresser is the star’s
main connection to reality and is expected to Reformatories: a penal institution to which young
know everything about his or her charge. In
are committed.
addition, the dresser takes care of costuming
Bob: British slang for a shilling, which is a now
the star
obsolete British monetary unit equal to 12
Punt: a long narrow flat-bottomed
pence or 1/20th of a pound.
boat with square ends usually
The Haymarket: a London theatre near Piccadilly
propelled with a pole
Circus The Haymarket is still a working theatre,
Landed gentry: a member of the
part of the West End theater row.
aristocracy having an estate in land
Waifs and strays matinee: like a student matinee,
Cur: a mongrel or inferior dog—a surly or cowardly
but a performance for children in an orphanage
fellow
Perambulators: British word for baby carriage
Arrant: being notoriously without moderation,
usually used in the context of a quote from Scarlet Hispano: a hispano is a French car with a
long body made from about 1907-1936.
Hamlet, “we are arrant knaves, all; believe
none of us.”
Slapdash: haphazard or slipshod
Mah Jong: a game of Chinese origin usually
9
Cultural Context
Coward obviously had rich material to draw upon, but he transposed it with a sureness of touch remarkable
for a writer then in his mid-twenties. Even more remarkable, the material plays well 80 years later. The
Blisses’ appalling manners still seem extraordinary, and it remains titillating that we like them for it. The
plays raucous amorality seems truly modern
-Michael Porillo, “Pure Bliss.” New Statesman, May 1, 2006.
The Glamorous Life
Plays and films about celebrities seemed to reach fever-pitch during the Hollywood studio era. Films like Sunset
Boulevard or All About Eve show both writers and a public obsessed with the idea of “the star.” Diva-worship
enticed even Noël Coward, who was himself no stranger to celebrity. He was so taken by real-life movie star Laurette
Taylor that he based Hay Fever on her and her family.
In Hay Fever, Noël Coward created the character of Judith Bliss, an aging celebrity who can’t seem to retire from
the stage. Her notoriety as an actress infects her family — her novelist husband David and their two children — to
the point that the family’s grip on the “real” world is rather slippery. When each of the family members separately
invites a friend from this “real” world to the country for a weekend, merry madness ensues. Coward sets up a conflict
between the two worlds, and the theatrical world happily wins.
Coward differs in this respect from his contemporaries. Whereas other 20th-Century writers took a critical approach
to their subjects, Noel Coward’s satire brims with praise and joy for Judith and her nutty family. Instead of turning a
start in the twilight of her career into a victim, Hay Fever celebrates Judith’s strength, wit and charm.
Think of characters like Arkadina in The Sea Gull (1896), Desiree Armfeldt in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music (1975)
or Esme Allen in David Hare’s Amy’s View (1997). Each is simultaneously venerated for her glamour and criticized for
it, because she selfishly places fame and the stage above family and love. “An actor,” says writer John Harrop, “does
artificially what everyone else does naturally”: these characters can only related to others as if they were characters
on stage. When their celebrity wanes, nothing “real” remains, and their lives suffer tragically.
Not so with Judith Bliss. Noël Coward (himself an actor) breaks the convention by creating a tiny universe in which
the assumption of roles is a necessity, and Judith’s talent ensures her supremacy. “People never retire from the stage
for long,” quips Judith’s son Simon, and in this play she never does — not for a moment. Hay Fever disproves the idea
that actors can’t live in the “real” world by turning it upside down: in Coward’s world, “real” people don’t perform
properly in the world because they’re not actors. The inversion turns tragedy to comedy.
Judith and her family have learned that performance is the key to survival. “One always plays up to mother in this
house,” says Sorel. “It’s sort of an unwritten law.” The bewildered guests at the Bliss’ country home unwittingly break
the rules because they don’t think of the world in dramatic terms. The romantic twists and turns don’t provoke
melancholy 11th-hour numbers like A Little Night Music’s “Send in the Clowns”; they’re laugh lines that propel the
Blisses to a curtain call. At journey’s end, the guests fearfully slink away from their weekend in the country ­— retiring
from the stage, as it were. But the happily ignorant Blisses keep on performing... so Judith’s celebrity never wanes.
-Jason Loewith
10
Laurette Taylor, the actress who inspired the central character, Judith Bliss
Laurette Taylor (1883-1946) was one of the greatest actresses of Broadways Golden
Age and an acclaimed silent film star. On stage the lovely Taylor was astonishingly
natural and was “idolized” by no less than the great acting teacher Uta Hagen,
who said that Taylor’s identification with a character wasn’t complete until she was
“w ear the underpants of the character.” Many up-and-coming Broadway actors
would declare that her performance as Amanda Wingfield in the 1944 premier of
Tennessee Williams’ Glass Menagerie was the most memorable stage performance
they had ever seen. Williams himself talked about the “shock of revelation” in
her performances and “a radiance about her art which I can compare only to the
greatest lines of poetry.” She was a great actor, but she was also wildly mercurial,
larger than life, and very eccentric.
In 1924, Coward spent a weekend with Taylor, her husband, British playwright J. Hartley Manners, and her two grown
children, a weekend that was the template for Hay Fever. In the first 1937 volume of his autobiography, Coward
describes the visit in terms almost as funny to read as it is to watch the play. Taylor—“naïve, intolerant, lovable, and
entirely devoid of tact” — would pounce on an unwary guest “with all the swift accuracy of a pelican diving into the
sea.” Coward joined in the family games — shrilly argued over — wherein Laurette would “abruptly disapprove of
any guest…who turned out to be self-conscious, nervous, or unable to act an adverb or an historical personage with
proper abandon.” Taking a breath in their garden at one point, Coward was inspired to write a comedy of manners
about it. Sadly, the huge success of Hay Fever severed his friendship with Taylor who found it not a bit funny.
-Eileen Warburton, No People Like Show People: Noel Coward’s Hay Fever (1925)
Bright Young Things: Women in the 1920’s
The experiences during the War influenced British society, particularly women. During the war, many women had
been employed in the factories, giving them a wage and therefore a certain degree
of independence. Women over 30 had been given the vote in 1918, and by 1928 this
had been extended to all women over the age of 21.
Women felt more confident and empowered, and this new independence was
reflected in the new fashions. Hair was shorter, dresses were shorter, and women
started to smoke, drink and drive motorcars. The attractive, reckless, independent
‘flapper’ appeared on the scene, shocking society with her wild behaviour. Girl
Power 1920s-style had arrived!
For married women and their children, life was pretty much the same post-war as
pre-war. For example, the middle-class stay-at-home housewife still changed into
her afternoon dress after lunch to receive guests, and many such households had
either a live-in maid or a ‘daily’ to help with household duties. Pregnant women normally gave birth at home and
in a middle-class home, a live-in nurse was often engaged for the two weeks prior and for a month after the birth.
For working class women there was no such luxury as a home help, and there was certainly no paternity leave for
the husband!
Read more at http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-1920s-in-Britain/
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ABOUT THE PLAY • THE VORTEX
Nicky Lancaster brings his elegant fiancée, Bunty, home to introduce her to his famous mother, stage actress Florence Lancaster. But when Nicky discovers that Florence is flaunting a much younger lover, both
are forced to confront the truth about each other and themselves.
Plot Synopsis
Act 1, Wednesday afternoon at the Lancasters’ flat in London - The play opens in the drawing room of Mrs.
Lancaster’s flat in London. As Helen and Pauncefort, aka Pawnie await the company of their friend Florence
Lancaster, they gossip about the latest in a succession of lovers half her age, Tom Veryan. Clara Hibbert, a
young and accomplished singer arrives hoping to borrow Florence’s green fan for her performance that same
night. Florence finally arrives with Tom in tow. As the five of them continue their chatter, we learn there is to
be another social gathering that weekend at Florence’s country home. Clara departs and the conversation
eventually shifts to Florence’s son Nicky, a young pianist set to return from a spell in the city of decadence,
Paris. Pawnie and Tom depart, providing Helen the opportunity to express her concerns to Florence about
her relationship with Tom, insisting, “You’re more in love with him than he is with you.” Their conversation is
interrupted by Nicky’s early arrival. Helen and Florence say their goodbyes, leaving mother and son alone
together. The two catch up, Florence tells Nicky about Tom, and Nicky reveals that he’s engaged to be married
to a girl called Bunty Mainwaring. Bunty eventually enters and we learn that she and Tom knew each other as
children. Tom returns to escort Florence to dinner and they invite Nicky and Bunty to the country house for
the weekend.
Act 2, Sunday after dinner at the hall of the Lancasters’ country house - The Lancasters and their guests
are all enjoying a raucous house-party punctuated by music, dancing, and drink. There is a feeling of hectic
amusement and noise as we listen in at various points of everyone’s conversations. At one point, Helen comes
upon a matchbox of Nicky’s but before she can open it he snatches it away from her. Nicky, Bunty, Clara, Pawnie,
and Helen exit to the drawing-room to play Mah Jong. In a fit, Florence accuses Tom of being exceedingly rude
and suspects the others of “[putting you] against me.” Tom consoles her but avoids further commitments and
seeks refuge in the drawing-room. Nicky comes out and he and Florence get into a tiff prompting her to exit
as Helen returns. Nicky’s fatigue becomes more apparent as he converses with Helen, and she finally calls him
out on his drug habit pleading with him to stop. Their conversation is interrupted by the sudden the entrance
of David, who invites Nicky to stay at the house for a rest. Nicky is eventually left alone until Bunty enters to call
off their engagement. Everyone returns from the drawing room and ask Nicky to play one more song before
they all head off to bed, and as Nicky plays, the rest dance and the same frantic sense from the beginning of
the act returns. Nicky ultimately storms off and Bunty reveals their change of plans. The others make their way
to bed with the exception of Tom and Bunty who seek solace in each other. Florence comes back down and
catches them kissing. Nicky returns to witness Florence’s tantrum as she first demands an explanation from
them both, attempts to throw them both out, and then as Tom disappears up the stairs after Bunty, desperately
calls after him to come back.
Act 3, Two hours later in Florence Lancaster’s bedroom - In Florence’s bedroom, Helen attempts to console
her friend who is in the height of hysteria. Helen reminds her to think of Nicky and his recent break-up, which
only provokes her to attack Bunty instead of Tom. Florence eventually calms down and returns to her “worthless
attitude of mind” and Helen assures her that soon she wont be unhappy any more—just vindictive. Nicky enters
at Helens departure, and pleads with his mother to be honest with him about her relationship with Tom. They
quarrel and eventually Nicky reveals to her his drug habit, begging her to give up her selfish habits and to
finally be his mother for once.
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Characters
PRESTON, a servant.
HELEN SAVILLE, Florence’s best friend. A smartly dressed woman of about thirty.
PAUNCEFORT QUENTIN, aka “Pawnie”, an elderly maiden gentleman.
CLARA HIBBERT, a young singer.
FLORENCE LANCASTER, a wealthy and elderly but beautiful woman who still retains
the remnants of great beauty.
TOM VERYAN, Florence’s boyfriend. 24 years old. He is athletic and good-looking.
One feels he is good at games and extremely bad at everything else.
NICKY LANCASTER, Florence’s son. 24 years old. An amusing, attractive, and divinely
selfish piano player.
DAVID LANCASTER, Florence’s husband and Nicky’s father. An elderly gray-haired
pleasant man.
BUNTY MAINWARING, Nicky’s girlfriend/fiancé. 23 years old. Self-assured.
Noël Coward as Nicky Lancaster and Lilian Braithwaite as his mother in the original 1924 production of The Vortex.
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GLOSSARY
OF
TERMS
(in order of appearance)
Fetish: a course of action to which one has an
excessive and irrational commitment.
World War which was formed on 12 June 1945
from the Guards Armoured Division which had
undergone reorganisation.
Frieze: a broad horizontal band of sculpted or
painted decoration, especially on a wall near Rowed: slang for “had a fight.”
the ceiling.
Sandhurst: The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst,
commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is the
Gabriel Faure: a French composer, organist,
British Army’s initial officer training centre
pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost
and is located near the village of Sandhurst,
French composers of his generation, and his
Berkshire, about 55 kilometres southwest of
musical style influenced many 20th-century
London.
composers.
Reynaldo Hahn: a Venezuelan, naturalised French, Tramp: a long walk.
composer, conductor, music critic, diarist,
Debussy: a French composer. Along with Maurice
theatre director, and salon singer. Best known
Ravel, he was one of the most prominent
as a composer of songs, he wrote in the French
figures associated with Impressionist music.
classical tradition of the mélodie.
Ravel: a French composer, pianist and conductor.
Aria: a long, accompanied song for a solo voice,
He is often associated with impressionism
typically one in an opera or oratorio.
Mah Jong: a game of Chinese origin usually
Cachet Faivre: a pain medication containing
played by four persons with 144 tiles that are
caffeine and quinine. A celebrated cure for
drawn and discarded until one player secures
headaches, toothache, rheumatism and flu in
a winning hand.
the early 20th century.
Motor: used as a verb, meaning “to drive”.
Mary Quant: a Welsh fashion
designer and British fashion icon. Inferiority Complex: an unrealistic feeling
She became an instrumental figure
of general inadequacy caused by actual
in the 1960s London-based Mod
or supposed inferiority in one sphere,
and youth fashion movements.
sometimes marked by aggressive behavior in
compensation.
“Wire me”: used as a verb, meaning
“to telegraph to”.
Scriabin: a Russian composer and pianist. Scriabin,
who was influenced by Frédéric Chopin,
The Brigade: The Guards Division
composed early works that are characterised
was an infantry division of the
by tonal language.
British Army that was formed in the
Great War in France in 1915 from battalions of
the elite Guards regiments from the Regular
Army. The division served on the Western
Front for the duration of the First World War.
There was also a Guards Division in the Second
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Cultural Context
…there was little doubt that the play had dragged the London theatre from Edwardian gentility or Barriesque
whimsy towards the acid cynicism of social commentary for the first time since Wilde.
–Sherridan Morley, Introduction to Noël Coward Collected Plays: ONE
Swinging 60s- Capital of Cool
For a few years in the 1960s, London was the world capital of cool. When Time magazine dedicated its 15 April 1966
issue to London: the Swinging City, it cemented the association between London and all things hip and fashionable
that had been growing in the popular imagination throughout the decade.
London’s remarkable metamorphosis from a gloomy, grimy post-War capital into a bright, shining epicentre of style
was largely down to two factors: youth and money. The baby boom of the 1950s meant that the urban population
was younger than it had been since Roman times. By the mid-60s, 40% of the population at large was under 25. With
the abolition of National Service for men in 1960, these young people had more freedom and fewer responsibilities
than their parents’ generation. They rebelled against the limitations and restrictions of post-War society. In short,
they wanted to shake things up…
Added to this, Londoners had more disposable income than ever before – and were looking for ways to spend
it. Nationally, weekly earnings in the ‘60s outstripped the cost of living by a staggering 183%: in London, where
earnings were generally higher than the national average, the figure was probably even greater.
This heady combination of affluence and youth led to a flourishing of music, fashion, design and anything else that
would banish the post-War gloom. Fashion boutiques sprang up willy-nilly. Men flocked to Carnaby St, near Soho,
for the latest ‘Mod’ fashions. While women were lured to the King’s Rd, where Mary Quant’s radical mini skirts flew
off the rails of her iconic store, Bazaar.
Even the most shocking or downright barmy fashions were popularised by models who, for the first time, became
superstars. Jean Shrimpton was considered the symbol of Swinging London, while Twiggy was named The Face
of 1966. Mary Quant herself was the undisputed queen of the group known as The Chelsea Set, a hard-partying,
socially eclectic mix of largely idle ‘toffs’ and talented working-class movers and shakers.
Music was also a huge part of London’s swing. While Liverpool had the Beatles, the London sound was a mix of
bands who went on to worldwide success, including The Who, The Kinks, The Small Faces and The Rolling Stones.
Their music was the mainstay of pirate radio stations like Radio Caroline and Radio Swinging England. Creative types
of all kinds gravitated to the capital, from artists and writers to magazine publishers, photographers, advertisers,
film-makers and product designers.
But not everything in London’s garden was rosy. Immigration was a political hot potato: by 1961, there were over
100,000 West Indians in London, and not everyone welcomed them with open arms. The biggest problem of all
was a huge shortage of housing to replace bombed buildings and unfit slums and cope with a booming urban
population. The badly-conceived solution – huge estates of tower blocks – and the social problems they created,
changed the face of London for ever. By the 1970s, with industry declining and unemployment rising, Swinging
London seemed a very dim and distant memory.
- Source: http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-london/swinging-60s-capital-of-cool
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THEATRE ETIQUETTE
When we visit the theatre we are attending a live performance with actors that are working
right in front of us. This is an exciting experience for you and the actor. However, in order
to have the best performance for both the audience and the actors, there are some do’s and
don’ts that need to be followed. And remember that we follow these rules because the better
an audience you can be the better the actors can be.
1. Don’t allow anything that creates noise to go off during the
performance — cell phones, watches, etc.
2. Don’t take pictures or video recordings during the performance.
All of the work is copyrighted by the designers and you could face
serious penalties.
3. Don’t eat or drink in the theatre.
4. Don’t stick gum on the bottom of the seat.
5. Don’t place things on the stage or walk on the stage.
6. Don’t put your feet up on the back of the seat in front of you or on
the edge of the stage.
7. Don’t leave your seat during the performance unless it is an
emergency. If you do need to leave for an emergency, leave as
quietly as possible—and know that you might not be able to get back
in until intermission.
8. Do clap — let the actors know you are enjoying yourself!
9. Do enjoy the show and have fun watching the actors!
10.Do tell other people about your experience and be sure to ask
questions and discuss what you experienced after the show!
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RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Books and Articles:
• Play Parade by Noël Coward
• Future Indefinite by Noël Coward
• Present Indicative by Noël Coward
• The Letters of Noël Coward edited by Barry Day
• The Noël Coward Diaries edited by Graham Payn and Sheridan Morley
Film and Audio:
• Noel Coward Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2A5882BC9D3E1C80
• Why I Hate the Sixties (a BBC documentary)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJM-xA8PcQ8
Online Resources:
• The Noël Coward Society
http://www.noelcoward.net
• The Noël Coward Estate
http://noelcoward.com
• Noël Coward at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
http://exhibitions.nypl.org/noelcoward/index.html
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