Vortex - Noel Coward - BBC Saturday Night Theatre

[@davidrichard2761]

Brilliant! Coward was an observer of people’s character. It’s interesting that one of the comments refers to the supercilious snobbery of the upper class as though in this day people were any different in a kind of inverted snobbery. This play helped me as a rather lonely student in London in the 70’s to realise that other people struggled in life. I particularly appreciated the line something like ‘ I’m too worried about myself to be worrying for anyone else’ .. we are all caught in a vortex of selfishness and greed . Yet people have a capacity for compassion and help also.

[@timgluckman8663]

Coward had a profound understanding of human nature; but more important he could communicate it to millions

[@RG-zn2fp]

Huge fan of Coward and how his work transcends time. Thanks for sharing this!

[@christrinder1255]

Another interesting Coward play. I think in his writing and acting, whether straight plays or the roles he played, both on film or in the theatre, together with in his intended comedies, he beautifully exposes the extreme idiosyncrasies of the people, age, and class in society he moved in.

[@sanciekemtrup308]

😊have listened to this 10 times keep getting more insight love Noel

[@nicholasgill5575]

Gosh this is 100 years old in 2024. Although it concerns a certain social class at a certain time I find it deeply authentic in its portrayal of a dysfunctional attachment relationship between mother and son. Powerful echoes of Hamlet. It presents the brittle skin of English upper class charm which kills Love and Art as Anthony Blanche says in Brideshead Revisited... and shows that charm and celebrity cannot save you from the predicaments of the human condition. Coward is brilliant at showing us the abyss that lies under the banalities of our conventional lives and attitudes. I'm sure people will still be gatting some catharsis from this play in another 100 years. Just as they will be watching Brief Encounter and weeping for Celia Johnson as she parts from Trevor Howard on a steam age train platform. Timeless stuff. And he wrote superb songs! So much talent in one mortal man.

[@nickychancethompson5341]

Another brilliant Coward masterpiece. What an amazing writer and observer of humans.

[@colinglass7929]

So good not to have annoying advertising cutting in the middle of the play to spoil the flow of the storey .

[@jakecavendish3470]

My grandmother knew him quite well and he always described this play as a "load of old s-ite, but it paid the gas bills" 😂

[@natasharosetarrant]

Excellent!

[@janethayes5941]

Oh this is a good one!!! Love NC and this is just fresh!

[@TedaR]

TYSM GKC! I love NC! He was a master of his many crafts! Also ty for all the grand info you provide. Really enjoy your ch!

[@joansavage1857]

Brilliant! Thank you....

[@johnking7685]

This is interesting.I have a tape recording of a more recent BBC radio production with Harriet Walter as Florence & Paul Rhys. in the part of the son; here played by Richard Briers. The most recent production on stage in the West End starred Briers' partner in "The Good Life" (on TV)....Felicity Kendal

[@Helen-xy9qj]

Coward is like French champagne. Delicious and relaxing.

[@natashafernando3503]

What a very beautiful and educational story bout how nuch parents should give attention to their children and notbonly to themselves and their carreers. Especially moms

[@timgluckman8663]

Great!

[@stephaniehand503]

great

[@JamesOReilly-ec2op]

Joan Greenwood had the most wonderful voice. One one end...a little squeek...on the other end...she purrs. Loved her in Tom Jones...Whiskey Galore too. She was uniquely sexy.

[@Dina-md3ji]

Whatever path you take Preciousness won't help

[@davy91101]

I just finished watching a 1969 film of this play with Margaret Leighton; my interest was pure curiosity since it is rarely revived and one can understand why. Were the "posh" people of this time really so vapid and superficial? I note the timing of this broadcast is slightly longer than the film. Surely this was the standard three act play which was common both in England and the US. At any rate the mother son confrontation is unbelievable and a torture to see/hear.

[@olwens1368]

I was struck by the thought that there is still a class of people who behave just like this and are every bit as vapid & superficial- they just express themselves in modern language and situations. I imagine they have always been, and will always be.

[@p.michaelhayesii7196]

49:40 is the spot

[@anndbritch-barney8378]

He had a rather camp outlook on life.

[@manfromnocky]

Well he was Noel Coward after all wasn't he.😊

[@jordsupp]

I rather enjoyed this

[@PrivatePrivate-so4if]

I suspect that only a young man would write a play telling women that they must accept growing older and to behave themselves. Oedipus rides again too of course. I have mixed feelings about all this. The “mother” isn’t that convincing as a character and needs to be played less full-on if there she is to have any chance of credibility. Still I suppose it’s high comedy.

[@johnmatthews704]

TV

[@joeltham1979]

⁵

[@pauljepson1379]

Utter tripe! Darlings....

[@donwardell4605]

Well, I approached this as education as opposed to entertainment. The class system is rampart here and so much supersilious material - well it's Noel Coward. On a technical level the balances are way off there are several scenes with a gramophone that were completely inaudible. It's really the way were - which cannot be translated recreated into the way we are - does not work. Thanks though - everyone's efforts should always be appreciated and we can't help material if it ages to the point of "silliness" "Bye Darlings - yes I will have my 80th cocktail - No Wanda darling i''m not drinking too much" -------------and on and on and on ....Coward always has an underscore of sadness and troubled people held in counterpoint to the cocktail chatter - it works the first 486 times but not here "Wanda I'll have another always make such wonderful gins darling --"

[@clivepearsall6616]

Sorry, darlings, but I found this awfully. frightfully, awful. I could not find any sympathy with any of the characters. I have always found Coward most pretentious, and this is just one example of his pretentiousness. In short, to me. quite, quite dreadful.

[@gayham]

How postively beastly of you to say. The vortex is extraordinary, a frightfully wonderful piece of british theatre history. Rather.

[@adag5813]

"Don't you know"

[@manfromnocky]

Don't take it too seriously Clive. Look in a more lighthearted way and its easier to appreciate. I think Coward was actually taking the piss out the people he associated with whilst at the same time touching on serious subjects. Its really quite clever old boy. 😊 I do prefer Rattigan though.