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ART THEATRE PLAYERS
"THE VORTEX."
The change of programme of the Art
Theatre Players at the Theatre -Royal
last night brought Noel Cowaid's "The
Vortex." The play has been deemed by
some critics to be Mr. Coward's best,
but there is a resemblance between this
sordid tragedy of high life and "The Rat
Trap," In so far as both plays have a
long and wordy exposition, aad a num-
ber of characters who simply serve to
give atmosphere without contributing
much to the action. In "The Vortex"
the conflict Is between mother and son.
The former is the middle-aged Florence
Lancaster, desperately clinging to fleet-
ing youth, deeply involved In an un-
worthy intrigue with a man half her
age, her whole life a hollow sham The
son is a neurotic drug-addict, whose
sweetheart leaves him to find a moro
congenial mate in the mother's, lover.
The play presents no alluting picture
of life at Its best, or even as it is where
there Is a rudimentary sense of moral
responsibility. But there Is grim real
Ism, touching fast life on the raw,
especially in the fearful tragedy of
weakness in the last act, where the son
extorts from his contemptible mother
the confession that the young man who
has just loft her }\as not been her only
lover.
Miss Mollie Locke lived the part of
vain, empty-headed Florence Lancaster,
and was fipely supported by Mr Tei
ence Crisp as the neurotic son, Micky,
who before curtain fall brings his
mother to her sensés Miss Florence
Cheers capably filled the very suitable
part of the candid friend, Helen Saville,
one of. the-few- sympathetic chaiacters
in the play. Mr.. Norman Heymanson,
a-j Tom, Veryap, Florence's last lover,
and Miss Maud Mçpieod, as Micky's
sweetheart, did good work, Miss Nancy
Fryberg 'gave an amusing characterisa-
tion of the hypochondriac Clara Hlb
bert, and Mr. Roger Doherty was that. /
other fatuous type, Pauncefoot Quentin. ,
Mr. Dudley Rlddick and Mr. J Bei es-/_
ford Fowler were cast as the compara- HI
ttvely inconspicuous David Lancast'
and Bruce Fairlight respectively.
The reception was evcellent, ..
there was much applause. jr- _f
"The Vortex" will run until t'ght
row night On Thursday, the ipfledy,
of the season, Bernard ShawV .
"Pygmalion," will be staged. * \\<ç
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