Noel Coward was inspired to write The Vortex after witnessing the glamorous mother of his friend being rebuked by a young woman in a nightclub for having a young man in town when “she’s old enough to be his mother”. Although the play's depiction of drug abuse was considered shocking amongst 1920s theatre-goers, Nicky’s cocaine habit has been seen by many critics as a metaphor for homosexuality, which was then completely taboo in Britain. Despite (or perhaps because of) its controversial content, The Vortex was Coward's first great commercial success. However, it was very nearly banned from
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The Vortex guide sections
